Don't Kid Yourself
by Burmad
Summary: He could get over her. Don't kid yourself. She was perfectly happy. Don't fool yourself. LeeSaku, first chapter songfic with Blackout by Muse. Please Read/Review! Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first story so any advice on how to improve would be greatly appreciated

Just a oneshot songfic with Blackout by Muse (highly recommend you listen to the song!)

Mature content (lemons)

* * *

He didn't want to think.

He didn't want to speak, hear, or talk. He wanted to be completely separate from the world.

He picked up his pace, stomped his feet harder against the softened ground. He had to drown out the sound of her voice, her laugh, and her cries stuck in her throat.

He ran faster. He had to make everything a blur as he ran by their old favorite training spot. He sped up even faster so he could miss the place where he had seen her with him, kissing as she was engulfed by his presence, and even faster as he ran by the spot where he was earlier today, where he had seen him turn his back on her, walked away nonchalantly leaving her with tears building up in her eyes.

_Don't kid yourself_

Did he really love her?

_No, it had all just been a silly childish crush._

Then why won't she leave his thoughts?

_Don't think like this. Try focusing on something else. Let's see…_

The rain.

It started out around noon. It had been just a light drizzle.

_Light as her touch when they once brushed hands_.

Then it started down pouring. It had been growing stronger all evening.

_As she also continued grown stronger everyday._

When he looked up, it had somehow increased the vivaciousness of the green treetops and the light pink sunset.

_Bold green as her piercing eyes, soft pink as her hair._

It felt good, refreshing his sweating skin, cooling his body.

_As her smile refreshed his thoughts. Her skin, soft, smooth, and as fair as porcelain. Her body, from her strong fists, to her long legs, her toned stomach, curved hips, round breasts…_

He shook his head, attempting to rid himself of these invading thoughts.

"Sakura-chan," Lee whispered.

_And don't fool yourself_

Okay fine. Maybe he did love her. If so, it's not as if he could make his dreams a reality. He would just have to forget her, get over the hold she seemed to have on him. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Yes, that is a splendid plan. Or he could continue to admire her from afar… that sounds like an even better plan.

He tried not to think of it, but it crept up on him. The reason why he was having such a dilemma.

Uchiha…

_This love's too good to last,_

Yes, Sasuke Uchiha finally returned to Konoha. Lee didn't hear much about his travels but after being pardoned by the Hokage for abandoning the town, he was also eventually forgiven by his friends. Naruto was especially happy to see his good friend back home; even Lee rejoiced and accompanied the group of men who were taking the young man out for ramen to hear of his journeys. Sakura was speechless when she heard that her old teammate had returned and after seeing him, quickly pulled him into an embrace, and simply said, "I'm so glad you returned." Not to anyone's surprise, they eventually became an item and they seemed to be a perfect pair. It weakened Lee's heart and spirit since he and the pink-haired kunoichi have become increasingly close after Sasuke left, but it was good to see her with the man of her dreams. Even though it pained him that he was not the one receiving Sakura's affections, it was good to see her happy.

_And I'm too old to change_

Okay, it really pained him. How he desperately wished to be the one she would stare longingly at, the one she would tell everything to, and the one she would kiss goodbye as she did Sasuke. But he could deal with that. He would cope with anything as long as his cherry blossom was lively and content.

But recently, he noted, she didn't seem as happy as he wanted her to be. Lee would see the young kunoichi spill her thoughts to the prodigy, only to be ignored. He also saw her at the Hokage's Tower often, eyes red and face distraught. Earlier today, he also happened to see the couple arguing and when Sakura reached out to touch Sasuke's hand in a condoning manner, he walked away, leaving her disheveled.

It was in this last this last thought that the pain subsidized as anger overcame him. Lee increased his speed to try and forget these emotions, but with his body depleted of energy, he failed to avoid a lower branch, hitting him square in the ribs, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Sakura rubbed her aching back. Even for the young, healthy medic nin, arching over her earlier patient to complete the healing of a nasty stomach wound took its toll on her.

"Oh well" she said aloud, "I have one more patient to look at and I can go home and take a nice hot shower and get a good nights sleep before my mission tomorrow." She prayed for the last thing as she has had trouble falling asleep the past few days. It seemed that not only her job was tiring her out, put her recent problems with Sasuke kept her from sleeping.

She pushed these thoughts out of her head. She should be happy, shouldn't she? She was finally with the man that she had been pining for. She decided to think about it later and focus on her work. She walked down the almost empty hallway, looked at her chart, and found the last thing on her duties list.

_Name: Rock Lee_

_Room: 104_

_Time Admitted: 2100_

Her face light up slightly. "Maybe I'll even get to catch up with an old friend before I leave."

She walked into the darkly lighted room and silently closed the door behind her. The only sound in the room was the slight rumble of breathing from her patient, as he laid sound asleep and the pitter-patter of rain on the window. She walked up to the side of his bed and was unable to stop the smile spreading across her face or the admiration shinning in her eyes.

"My how you've changed Lee."

_Don't grow up too fast_

It was true. The now 20-year-old dark-haired genius still shared some similarities with his younger self but the differences were very apparent. He still had the same tall, thin frame, but instead of being awkward and gawky, he now had broad shoulders, and a more prominent upper body, and seemed to carry himself with more presence. Even now as he lies sleeping, he seemed to exude more confidence. His hair was messy and longer, almost to his shoulder blades, and he kept it in a braid. She remembers him confiding to her a while back that he had been so occupied with missions that he hadn't been able to get a hair cut, and when she complemented his new style, she guesses he had decided to keep it the way it was, with Gai's permission of course. His eyebrows, though still huge, only added to the ruggedness of his chiseled face. He kept the same jumpsuit only after making certain alterations as his growing biceps kept ripping the fabric. It now had short sleeves and his arm wraps went up to his elbow. Not only had this changed, but a change in his skills occurred as well. Even without ninjustu or genjustu, his astounding speed and strength increased far beyond human nature and allowed him to hold his own against any prestigious clan or gifted genius. He had recently been promoted to jounin, has surpassed not only Gai's expectations, but surpassed his mentor himself, and according to Tenten, is currently tied with Neji in amount of matches won.

Sakura, fascinated with the form in front of her, left her brain to daydream and she admired changes that made him more… dare she say, handsome, definitely, maybe even sexy, absolutely… She immediately stopped herself for she already had someone and so she could get back to work. She walked to the end of his bed, removed his chart, and began searching for the reason why he was here.

_Over exhaustion_

_Muscle tears_

_Possible fractures/sprains_

_Possible pneumonia_

_-Collapsed after running in rain, found and admitted by Hyuga Neji._

_"Baka! I don't know how many times I've told him to take it easy with his training!"_ She mentally scolded him, but secretly smiled to herself._ "I guess some things never change."_ she thought.

_And don't embrace the past_

As she finished reading his chart, she did some quick checks. She checked his pulse, his temperature, and his heart and lungs with her stethoscope, all seemed to be normal. As she was going through this routine, which was second nature to her now, she couldn't keep her eyes of his peaceful face as she reminisced. They had gotten closer in the past few years. After both Sasuke and Naruto left she was in need of some sort of support and Rock Lee was there for her. Even though he was busy with his promotion to jounin and countless missions, he still made time to help her with her taijustu and to occasionally spar with her. She giggled to herself as she remembered the day when Lee had sprained her ankle, carried her to the hospital at light speed, apologizing the entire time, and insisted that he tend to her every night by icing her ankle and rubbing her feet. She snapped herself back to reality and tried to focus on her job as she scribbled on her chart but her thoughts quickly drifted as she remember the time when they were on a mission together and the top button on her shirt popped off, exposing her cleavage for the rest of that day. She laughed a bit harder as she envisioned Lee's strained face as he desperately tried to keep eye contact whenever they would speak. Her thoughts continued to waft and she recalled the day when she had snuck up on him while he was furiously kicking a stump and smacked his bottom while saying "Hey toots, you're looking sweet today." Her faint laughter started to fill the room when she remembered how he simply turned around and said "Sakura, my dear friend, you are a pervert." While laughing she turned her back and mentally kicked herself for being too busy with hospital rounds and Sasuke to not keep in touch with her friends.

She must have been laughing a bit too hard as she suddenly heard someone speaking from behind her.

"I am glad my doctor finds my current state of condition so hilarious."

She quickly spun around to see the dark-haired man sitting up in his bed on his elbows with his trademark smile spreading across his face.

"L-Lee-san" she stuttered with a blush creeping up on her face, "Sorry, I just remembered something really funny. Sorry to have woken you."

"Do not be sorry Sakura-chan. You need me awake in order to do your job properly."

She nodded "Right" she pulled up a chair to the side of his bed, "let's get started then. Your lungs don't seem to be inflamed or infected. Do you have a cough or any problems breathing?"

"No, I feel fine!" He exclaimed with a bright smile and a thumbs up.

She gave a small smile back and continued to speak. "Well that's good. At least you don't have pneumonia from RUNNING IN THE FREEZING RAIN!" Her tone quickly changed and her smile turned to a frown as she scolded the young man.

Lee quickly averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed look on his face.

"You see… I had promised myself to run 500 laps around Konoha, and I could not let a bit of rain stop my burning youthful flame."

Sakura face palmed her face, "Some things really don't ever change," she mumbled.

The young kunoichi instructed the taijustu master to sit on the edge of bed. She walked over and used her plessor to test his knee reflexes. As she did, Lee couldn't help but "accidentally" sneak a peek down her blouse as she leaned over. He saw her creamy skin hidden by a black lacey bra. He promptly resumed his vision to the door in front of him but not without a blush staining his face. He knew it was wrong, but he wasn't a saint when it came to the most beautiful women he'd seen._ "If I look again,"_ he thought to himself _"then its 1000 pushups!"_ He did a mental fist pump as he recited this in his mind.

He heard her giggle and looked down to meet her gaze.

"W-What is it?" He asked, hoping he had not been caught.

"Nothing, it's just that you have the look on your face like you just given yourself a self imposed challenge and I don't have any clue what it could be for" she explained.

"Sakura-chan."

Lee let out his held breathe and admired her for knowing him so well. Not only was she beautiful, but so observant and intelligent. That's probably why she was recently promoted to jounin as well and is considered one of the Konoha's top medic nins.

"Well" she said, snapping him out of his daze, "your reflexes are normal, which means your hamstring muscles are fine." She paused, "Stand up" she ordered.

Lee did so and as he lifted himself from the bed she pointed to his shirt that the hospital had dressed him in and said, "Strip."

"N-Nani?!" He almost shouted, taken aback by her comment.

She looked at him with a serious face and said "I need to check you for any muscle tears or fractures and I can't do that to well with your shirt on, can I? You're not too shy are you? I thought the Beautiful Green Beast would be proud to show the," she did an air quote "fruits of his youthful labors." She finished with a wink and a devious smile on her face.

His face was burning. He wasn't really embarrassed to be shirtless; it was the fact that she had asked in such a flirtatious matter that left him speechless.

She chuckled to herself as she turned her back to grab his chart. "Don't worry, I won't even ask for a slow reveal." She heard Lee emit a bit of rich laughter at that comment.

When she turned to face her patient, it was her turn to be speechless. She said she wouldn't have asked for a slow reveal, but she got one anyways.

What she saw could've made the most stable, practiced, experienced woman gasp. Lee was pulling his shirt past his face, revealing his entire torso. Sakura allowed her eyes to wonder his flawless; firm pecks with a set if deltoids to match perfectly. She continued downward and she fumbled with the chart in her hands as she gazed upon his abs.

_"His body has been carved by the Gods!"_ She exclaimed in her head._ "I can count every single one of his cut abs! I knew he worked out religiously and you could see some of his muscles under that ridiculous suit, but who knew that he was this, this, perfect?!"_

When the shirt was off over his head, Lee turned to set it on the bed, giving Sakura a view of both his amazingly carved arms and sculpted back. The pink-haired woman didn't stop taking in the sight before her until she heard her named called.

"Sakura-chan?" Lee looked at her with a questioning look. "Are you feeling okay, your face is looking kind of red."

"H-Hai I-I'm fine" she manages to say as she was internally trying to calm herself down to stop herself from blushing. She brought the chart up to her face, trying to hide her reddened features. "If you don't mind" she asked, "I'm going to need you to go through a set of stretches to check for any damages"

"Not at all!" He said cheerfully.

As Sakura took him through each stretch and exercise, she noted on the chart each action and noted in her mind how beautiful, and limber, the young man looked while performing them with his muscles flexing. While observing, she couldn't help the urges that began to form in her mind and the _other_ parts of her body. She was snapped from her trance when she heard a loud twinge of pain. Lee had grabbed his left side and shut his eyes in pain when she had asked him to stretch that arm over his head.

The medic nin quickly rushed over to his spot and assisted him in sitting back down on the bed.

"Are you okay?" She asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Hai, I'm fine" Lee answered opening his eyes.

She checked the spot that dark haired man held in pain. She saw the start of some bruising and put pressure in a certain place causing Lee to wince in pain, affirming her assumptions.

"You appear to have a few fractured ribs. I'm going to have to wrap your sternum in adhesive tape to restrict the expansion of your lungs and the movement of the fractured area." Sakura explained as she wrapped her arms around the dark haired man to apply the tape. Lee blushed at the intimate contact he was receiving and wished it to be an actually hug. "So, how did you come about this injury, or do I not want to know?" She inquired.

He pondered her questions, trying to recall the moments from earlier that day. He remembered running after he saw her with Sasuke, and he remembered constantly thinking about her the entire time until… "Oh yes, it must be from when I was running and I lost my concentration and I failed to avoid a low branch, and well…" he explained, feeling quite ashamed at how idiotic the incident made him sound.

"I'm surprised" the kunoichi responded. "I would think with the way you work out, you could've easily evaded a branch even after running 500 laps. What were you thinking about that made you lose your concentration Lee-san?"

He didn't answer right away, wondering whether or not to tell her. After hearing her repeat his name to get answer, he scratched the back of his head and gave a fake chuckle. "To tell you the truth, I was thinking about you."

Her hands stopped working as she starred back up at the older boy. She wanted to ask why he was thinking about her, but for some reason, she was scared to hear the answer. "Well sorry to have been a distraction." The two both laughed at her comment and she resumed her work.

Silence fell over the room as Sakura was working. It wasn't an awkward silence, but Lee couldn't stand the fact that he was not talking to the beautiful cherry blossom when he had the chance.

"So, how do you like being a jounin?" he asked wanting to start a conversation.

"It's definitely a lot of work," she responded. "I've been going on more and more missions since my promotion and when I'm not away, I usually have rounds to do here. Lady Tsunade had even been discussing with me about taking up a head position here."

"That's great!" Lee beamed and flashed her a genuine smile. "I am sure that you would do a phenomenal job!"

Sakura couldn't stop the smile and blush that came with that complement. "Thanks Lee. It's just I couldn't imagine having to do all of this and have to take up a team of genin. I'm exhausted as it is."

"I know how you feel," Lee responded with a more serious look on his face. "But I think you would make a great teacher. I know I would really enjoy being a one. I feel that I have a lot to teach the new generation and I just hope that I can help make them great shinobi!" he finished with a new formed smile.

_This life's too good to last_,

Sakura grinned. She couldn't believe she was so shallow she was when she first met the taijustu master that she failed to realize how outgoing, inspiring, and kind he was. When she thought of this she was overcome by a feeling of grief. She even felt desperation and yearning, what for she couldn't tell.

"I bet that you would make a great teacher. Kami-sama knows you have enough stamina to handle three little kids."

"Arigato Sakura-chan." Lee responded calmly, for something else was also on his mind. He told himself not to bring it up for fear of further hurting himself or even worse, hurting her. But he couldn't help himself. It would have killed him if he never asked. It would have killed him if he never knew if he had a chance or not. It would have killed him if she never knew how he really felt about her.

_And I'm too young to care_

"How are you and Sasuke?"

He watched her eyes widened and she hesitated. She eventually turned her face to his with a smile that he could tell was feigned.

"Fine, we're doing just fine Lee-san," the young woman answered. To tell you the truth, she had rarely even thought of Sasuke since she began talking with Lee and was surprised at the question. "Right now we are really trying to get to know each other better." She paused again before saying "Funny. We were on a team together for so long and yet there is still so much we didn't know about each other." He sensed the dejection in her voice and it destroyed him inside.

_"Like the fact that he is a pompous, self-absorbed jerk that does not deserve such a beautiful angel?"_ Lee thought to himself, but just responded with a nod.

"Sometimes I wonder if he still finds me annoying like he did when we were little. I wonder if I will be able to really connect with him." She said the last bit with a sniffle. The sadness in her voice was too much for Lee to take.

"Sakura-chan." He looked her straight in the eye with a solemn look. His dark orbs locking with her striking jade jewels._ "I guess it's now or never,"_ he thought. "When I first saw you, your beauty took my breath away. I thought of you to be the pure definition of the beauty of youth that Gai-sensei taught me about. As I got to spend more time with you, I was amazed by not just your beauty, but your intelligence and strength as well. I thought that my first feelings for youwere just an infatuation, a silly crush, but as you stand before me here years later, I am still left breathless and I cannot think of anything but you. I hope every day, every minute to even get catch a glance of your beauty."

As he spoke, Sakura's gaze never moved away from the young man's in front of her, even as tears began to form in her eyes.

"But," he stopped as if to rethink his actions, "now when I do see you, I see the adoration and devotion you give to Sasuke, and it pains me, that you obviously do not feel the same way about me tha-…"

"Please!" Sakura interrupted. She now had tears streaming down her face and she reached out to lay her hand on top of his. "Please don't Lee", she spoke between cries, "Please do not be jealous."

"Sakura let me finish." Her eyes widened at the stern tone in his voice and that lack of the suffix on her name. Lee took a deep breath and look to be fighting tears of his own. "Even thought it is almost unbearable to see you with another man, I would not have been upset as long as you were happy. I would run to Suna and back in one day with boulders strapped to my legs if it meant your happiness. But lately, you do not seem like your usually enthusiastic, lively self, and I believe that it is because of little affection and respect Sasuke gives you. Yes it pains me that I am not the one you love, but it kills me to see you waste your beauty, affections and sentiments on someone who does not deserve it. Sakura-chan I need to tell you this now, so that I can at least know that you understand how I feel about you." He hesitated for what seemed like ages as her gripped tightened on his hand, "I love you. I always have and I believe that I always wi-…"

Lee was interrupted again. This time it was not by words, but rather a set of lips lightly pushing against his own. Sakura quickly pulled away, leaving the taijustu master wide-eyed and stunned. She looked down with an apologetic look on her face. "I-I'm sorry Lee-san," she said, not knowing what to do next. She chided herself for kissing him, but she had to give into her emotions. Lately, even when she was with Sasuke, whenever she saw the taijustu master or when he appeared in her thoughts, she was overpowered by a feeling of longing and ache. When he told her that he loved her, something that she rarely heard from her significant other, she couldn't help herself even though she felt it wasn't fair to either boy. _"You idiot Sakura,"_ she thought to herself, as her eyes remained glued on her feet as she began to walk away, the feeling of confusion and yearning sticking with her.

He could not believe it! The most magnificent woman ever just kissed him! Her lips had been full, round, and sweet. He couldn't control his feelings anymore as he grabbed his lovely cheery blossom's arm as she was about to walk away. He pulled her towards himself locking the two another kiss. Sakura was taken aback as his sudden movements, not knowing what happened until she felt her lips crash against his. All the thoughts about how amazing the boy she was kissing was pushed out any doubts in her mind as she gave in to the kiss.

_(Interlude)_

Sakura wrapped her arms around Lee's neck as he placed his hands on her hips, deepening the kiss. She licked his lower lip, begging for entrance, and he happily complied. The two continued to explore each other's mouths as they leaned back onto the hospital bed while they furiously fought for dominance. Sakura entwined her fingers in his dark locks as Lee allowed his hands to roam across her waist and stroke her arms, causing her to emit a small moan. This sound of pleasure aroused Lee to no extent as he continued kissing her down her neck to her collarbone. Sakura took in a sharp breath of air whenever he ran his lips or hands past a sensitive spot while she felt her arousal growing in the pit of her stomach. Lee continued showering her in kisses as his hands started to undo each button on her top. As each button was undone, he kissed the newly exposed flesh until he reached her bra line and her shirt was tossed aside. He heard her heart beating, it was pounding with what he thought was nervousness and anticipation and looked up to see her face flushed and eyes closed. Sakura, not wanting to slow down, quickly undid the clasp on her skirt and let it fall where her shirt lay, leaving her in just her undergarments and then moved to Lee's pants as she ripped them off as well. She took control again and began kissing Lee with a furious passion as she moved her body over him. She allowed one hand to roam his sleek pecks while the other wandered lower, gliding past his carved abs to his hip line where she felt his grip tighten on her waist. The lovers immediately stopped when Sakura heard a grunt of pain and looked down to see that she had been moving her weight onto Lee's injured ribs.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed that she had ruined their heated, intimate moment. "Do you want to stop?"

Lee opened his eyes after the pain subsided and almost laughed at her question. "Are you kidding? I told you that I would do anything for your happiness; a little pain in my ribs is not going to stop me from that." Sakura looked down with a smile so adorable Lee couldn't help himself from uttering "And trust me, I will see to it that you are completely "happy"." The pink-haired woman's eyes widened at his use sexual content, never hearing him say anything that suggestive before, and she would be lying if she didn't admit that it turned her on to no end.

She was once again surprised as he turned her around laying her on the bed. He leaned in and gave her a passionate, tender kiss before they resumed locking their lips together. While completely lost in the moment and her arousal, Sakura subconsciously began gyrating her hips and made contact with Lee's member through his boxers. The young man drew in a sharp intake of air as he could feel his erection growing further. Sakura, delighted with the effect she had on that part of her man, spread a sly smile across her face. Lee looked down to see this, and being as competitive as he usual was, swiftly reached around her back and unhooked her bra. He let it fall off, revealing her naked breasts.

He gazed down at the woman of his desired. The redness in her cheeks, her brilliant eyes staring at him filled with passion, her creamy skin and full curves. _"She is so beautiful; she looks just like an angel. No, she truly is an angel!"_

"Lee-sa…Ah!" She was cut off as his rough hands began feeling her soft chest. She felt herself becoming wet through her panties as he leaned his mouth down to attend to one of her breasts while his hand massaged the other. She felt her face flush to the point to where sweat beads began to form on her forehead, and it only increased more as his kisses started to trail lower. As he stopped after he reached past her bellybutton, she exhaled a deep breath but let out a yelp as she felt his fingers start to rub her pleasure center. He grabbed the edges of her panties and slid them slowly down her legs, his fingers trailing down her skin softly. The pink-haired kunoichi tightened her grip on the bed sheets as she felt him resume his attention to her most sensitive spot. He lightly trailed his tongue between her folds and swirled it around her pearl. The sensation was too much for her to handle as her body squirmed and her hands reached down to grab onto Lee's hair. She pulled him back up to her face the two resumed making out while her hands grabbed onto the edge of his boxers and started to slid them down"

She felt a hand on top of hers as Lee stopped kissing her. He looked down at her with a concerned look on his face. "Sakura-chan" he turned his head as if to reconsider his actions, "if I go any further, I will not be able to stop myself, are you sure you want to do this?"

Sakura continued to slid the boy's boxers down as she said "I'm not asking you to control yourself. I want this, I have wanted this for a long time and it took until now for me to realize that the feeling of ache was for this. This moment here" she hesitated as she completely undress the man on top of her, "Lee, I love you too."

That was all that he needed to hear before he gave her a tender kiss and grabbed onto the back of one of her legs. She instinctually wrapped her feet around the dark-haired man's waist as he positioned himself at her entrance. He turned his face to the side of hers and when he heard her exhale as if to relax her body, he gently rolled his hips forward.

Sakura winced as he entered her. _"How big is he?"_ she thought as he continued to stretch her. She wrapped her arms around his strong back to relieve some of the tension and pain. She turned to see his face to see that he looked focused on his actions and almost troubled as he knew that he was causing her pain. What she didn't see was his determination to control himself as he felt her warmth around his member.

Once he was fully entered, he turned to look at her. Sakura saw the question written all over his face and as a reassurance, she said aloud "I'm okay, please, continue."

He pulled out of her slowly and got a steady rhythm going with each thrust of his hips as he help her leg up higher to give himself better access. The pain Sakura was feeling quickly turned to pleasure as she tightened her grip his back. Her breathing soon became irregular as his thrusts became harder and faster.

"Lee" she moaned into his ear as she heard him begin to grunt with each of his movements. The two were amazed by the amount of pleasure they were receiving from each other. Lee brought his face back to her stole sweet kisses from her between her moaning as she brought her hips up to meet his. As their pace continued to quicken, Lee enjoyed the feeling of her nails digging into his back as she enjoyed the tightened grip he put on her leg. The room was now filled with sounds of panting and moaning from the two lovers and slow and gentle soon turned to hard and passionate.

Sakura felt her body begin to tingle as she felt what felt like warmth pouring from her stomach slowly downward. The tight pressure and wetness Lee now felt each time he entered her caused him to increase the strength and force of each of his thrusts as he fully removed himself and plunge back in again. She grabbed the poles of the headboard to relieve some of this feeling. This feeling returned stronger as the dark-haired man dragged his hand up her inner thigh.

"Ohh… LEE!" She screamed as he began rubbing her clitoris. Her moans and pants became louder as the pleasure she felt with each one of his thrusts increased until her entire body was shaking. With one last drive into her, she nearly broke the headboard in half and her whole body convulsed. She screamed his name as a euphoric bliss continued throughout her entire body. Lee felt her walls collapse over his member, causing him to reach his limit as he returned her scream of pleasure. The two lovers rode out their last lingering feelings of their climax as they stared at each other, locking their eyes with a look of passion and content filling them. Lee finally collapse on top the pink-haired woman, both with sweat rolling down their bodies as they lay in each other's arms, breathless.

* * *

Sakura picked up her wrinkled shirt off of the floor and proceeded to put it back on. She squinted as she looked at the sunlight now pouring in through the window. The rain had stopped and there wasn't any noise coming from the open window, creating an eerie feeling to her. The young medic nin finished dressing as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake the figure from beneath the sheets. She grabbed her patients chart and contiunued to write out a pain-prescription on his chart for the next doctor to give him as she had to leave for her mission in an hour. She was thankful to have gotten that good night sleep that she prayed for, whether it was from exhaustion from her previous _activities_ or not. She was also thankful for the fact that she engaged in these activities in a place where loud screams are customarily heard, though they are usually from pain, not pleasure. The pink-haired kunoichi smiled to herself at her last thought headed for the door. She stole one last gaze from the man sleeping peacefully, engraving his face into her mind.

As she slowly opened the door and headed out, the sensation of desperation, that was becoming all too familiar to her, returned. She walked down the silent hallway; the only sound was the heel of her boots on the floor, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Thoughts of how wonderful she felt last night, how wonderful the man she shared it with was, and how wonderful it had felt to say those words, "I love you".

_Don't kid yourself_

She almost flinched as the words came back to her memory. Not from disappointment in herself for uttering them, but how reckless she had been with them. Yes it was true that she did love Lee, more than she ever thought she could love someone, but just earlier that same day she had said those very same words to Sasuke. It was this that left her with a feeling of doubt and grief.

Was she really going to leave the handsome, strong, mysterious, prodigy that she had pined for her entire life for the big-eyebrowed weirdo that ran around in a green jumpsuit, screaming about youth? That sounded like a stupid question.

_And don't fool yourself_

Was she really going to leave the seemingly heartless man who constantly makes her feel worthless for the one who seems to be brimming with determination and devotion and who makes her feel loved? Now that sounded like and even stupider question.

_This life could be the last_

She sighed as she thought of both boys. She knew that she would have to make a decision, and either way someone would be getting hurt and that's what she couldn't stand. What she pondered as she exited the hospital was what she really wanted.

_And you're too young to see._

She had some thinking to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura walked towards the Hokage Tower. She walked slowly taking in the silence of her surroundings. The early morning streets were clear and the only sounds were the drops of water hitting the ground, dripping from the high balconies left over from the thunderous storm.

Despite the troubled look on her face, Sakura was actually thankful and excited to be going on a mission. She liked her job; she was good at her job. She knew what to expect most of the time and how to handle any problems. She asked herself why she couldn't be like that with her relationships. Maybe it was because when she involved her emotions, it always seemed to end up in a mess.

She asked herself why it seemed like most everyone in her age group seemed to have figured relationships out. Naruto finally realized that Hinata was crazy about him and since then she actually worked up the nerve to ask him on a date. They have been inseparable ever since. Her best friend Ino had gone on a few dates with Chouji. She has tried to convince Sakura that they were just a few pity dates and that she was only trying to build his confidence so he could get a real girlfriend, but Sakura notices how every time Ino sees him, her eyes brighten and she can't hide a shy smile spreading across her face. Tenten and Neji have started to realize that there was much more behind their relationship besides being teammates. The others have been out on the dating scene as well, whether it was Shikamaru who has been more and more trips to Suna to see the Sand Kunoichi, or Kiba and Shino who have found girls in their clan to bond with.

Even with Sasuke as her boyfriend, she still felt like she had no idea how to handle her relationships. What she did with Lee proved the extent of that confusion. Speaking of Lee, she hasn't heard of him going out with anyone lately. Maybe a few dates here and there, but he seemed just as clueless as she.

The pink-haired kunoichi sighed as she walked toward the Hokage's office. She would have to sort that mess out later. Thankfully she would have at least a week to herself on this mission to think.

She knocked on the door leading to Tsunade's office and entered when she heard her master's voice say "Come in".

Sakura was delighted to see Tsunade's desk cleared of paperwork. The time that she spent training with her told her that would mean that she would be in a good mood and easier to talk with. Shizune stood by her side as usual and handed the blonde-haired woman a mission folder.

"Ohayou Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san" Sakura greeted.

"Ah, Sakura" she began "I hope you're having a good morning. I trust you are ready for your mission. This one isn't ranked; it is just to lend a helping hand."

"For what?" she inquired.

"The feudal Lord, Kisho Tanaka, of the neighboring Hizen province has asked Konoha for assistance in helping clear up and repair after a devastating earthquake hit their area about 2 days ago."

"Earthquake?" Sakura exclaimed. "How bad was it?"

"It was rated about a 7 on the Richter Scale. Only a few building remain standing and many were hurt. We've sent a few jounin out there already and according to their reports there is still much work to be done. I've chosen you since your amazing strength can help clean up and I assign the important job to tend to any injuries of the civilians. You are to arrive to the Lord's location and wait for specific instructions."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama" Even with the terrible cause of this mission, Sakura was always excited and amazed at what her healing abilities could do. She enjoyed helping, fixing others. Maybe that's what drew her to Sasuke in the first place. The shattered, hard, apathetic shell of a young man had her attention and it must have been her instinct that told her to put all her effort into fixing him. She must've been thinking that over for quite some time as Tsunade had to repeat her name to get her attention.

"Sorry Tsunade-sama, could you repeat that?"

"Is something troubling you Sakura? You seem distracted and I need you alert for this mission."

Sakura felt a blush start to spread. Was it that obvious? "I'm fine Tsunade-sama; I'll put my all into this mission."

"You both should leave within the next hour and arrive by the next day and a half" Shizune finished up.

"Both?" Sakura had a puzzled look on her face.

As if cued, the door open and Sakura's confusion turned to mortification. The green-clad shinobi stepped into the room with his signature smile on his face and determination in his eyes. Sakura's eyes, on the other hand, widened with fear.

"Ohayou Hokage-sama!" Lee walked to the middle of the room and turned toward Sakura. "Ah, Sakura, I guess you are my partner for this mission."

"_Oh no, no no no!"_ Sakura thought to herself. "_Lee wouldn't be as dense as to bring up their encounter last night in front of her master, would he?"_ Sakura thought about Lee's tendency to announce the obvious and could actually feel a sweat bead to form on her forehead.

Tsunade began to inform Lee on the basics of the mission while Sakura could only stand there, wishing that a rouge shinobi would break in, put her out of her misery and just end the humiliation that she knew was coming. Having Lee on this mission meant having to discuss with him their acts last night, something she didn't want to dwell on. It was already eating at her conscience and she couldn't bear hurting either boy and further. Suddenly she remembered something that she hoped would save herself.

"But wait!" Sakura interrupted their conversation. "I just treated Lee last night. He has some fractured ribs and I don't think he's in any condition to be leaving for a mission so soon." She felt triumphant for remembering.

"I swear I feel fine" Lee turned to her, "I have dealt with worse injuries before and still carried out my missions."

Sakura looked back at him. She saw his eyebrows furrowed in determination and fire in his eyes and knew that he wasn't going to make this easy for her.

"If you go, you could strain yourself and cause further injuries. As your doctor I don't want you to overexert yourself, like you usually do." Sakura couldn't help but give a smirk in the dark-haired boy's direction. Tsunade would understand that logic, and as a medic nin, would definitely agree and forbid Lee from coming with her.

Shizune leaned towards her master. "She makes a good point Tsunade-sama. Do you really think Lee is capable of leaving so soon?"

The Godaime laced her fingers together and peered over them, scrutinizing the two young shinobi in front of her. Sakura saw the ends of her lips begin to turn and almost felt sick to her stomach.

"Even with his injuries," she began "Lee is still the most qualified. He will still easily be able to pick up and heavy debris while Sakura tends to the civilians. Besides, who better to keep an eye on him then his own doctor?" She said that last bit with a sarcastic tone, raising an eyebrow at her student.

"Thank you Hokage-sama. I promise I will not let you down and will protect the honor of Konoha!" He finished with his usual enthusiastic fist pump.

"I want you two to leave within the hour and remain in the Hizen province until I send a new group to relieve you. That should be within one week."

"Hai, Hokage-sama" the two shinobi responded simultaneously and headed for the door.

As the door closed behind the two, Shizune gave her master a questioning glance.

"There are a few shinobi not busy that could've easily taken Lee's place until he was completely healed. Why did you want him to go with Sakura so badly?"

The blonde reclined in her chair and answered simply "I never cared much for that Uchiha."

* * *

Lee followed Sakura out of the room and picked up his pace to reach her side as she walked down the hallway. He leaned toward her and examined her face, noticing that she was avoiding eye contact with him.

"Why do you not want me on this mission?" He bluntly asked.

"I told you. You're injured and it's not safe." The pink-haired girl responded, still keeping her eyes glued to the ground.

"Contrary to what you might think Sakura, I am not that dense" he leaned closer to try to get her to look up at him. "You know my situation is not that critical. There is another reason why you do not want me to go with you."

This time Sakura said nothing and crossed her arms as if to shield out his inquiring.

"Is it because of last night?"

Sakura tightened her grip on her arms. "Please, Lee, not now." She kept averting his gaze, "I don't want to talk about it now. I just want to focus on the mission."

She felt him decrease the distance between them and let out a sigh. She knew she was probably killing him and expected some spiel but instead just heard him say "Okay. I understand."

She unexpectedly looked up at him to see a small, understanding smile on his face. She returned it and responded with a "Thank you".

The two shinobi parted ways as they left the Hokage Tower to go gather the equipment they would need for their mission, agreeing to meet at the Konoha gates in one hour. As Sakura backed her backpack, she thought about how sympathetic the dark-haired shinobi had been. She felt guilty to have ever expecting him to be a burden to her. Of course he would understand, he always had been sensitive toward her feelings. She recalled what he had said last night, _"I __was amazed by not just your beauty, but your intelligence and strength as well"_. The medic nin tried to rid herself of these thought, she wanted to keep a level head and not let her emotions influence the mission, but his voice just kept reoccurring in her head. "_I am still left breathless and I cannot think of anything but you"_, why did she have to go and make a mess of things? "_I love you. I always have…" _Sakura stopped her movements and let out a sigh. It seemed as though she couldn't let herself forget about those words. She asked herself why. Could it have been the fact that when Lee said that to her, it erased that feeling of ache and longing? The young kunoichi finished gathering her equipment wondering if he felt the same way. After all, she had said those words to him as well. Sakura began to walk out of her bland, mid-sized apartment and headed towards the main gates. She guessed that she probably should go see Sasuke with the 10 minutes she had left before she had to meet Lee, isn't that what a girlfriend would normally do? She decided against it, she was already conflicted and when she really thought about it, she knew that the Uchiha wouldn't be concerned with her feelings.

Sakura walked until she saw the gates in her view, with the taijustu master standing diligently under the arch, waving a hand to her once he met her gaze. She walked toward him, finally deciding that having Lee accompanying her wouldn't be so bad. She had been on missions with him before and he always proved himself to be dependable and prepared, "_not to mention enjoyable it was to watch him bend and flex in that tight suit."_ She quickly silenced that part of her mind as she got approached the enthusiastically smiling young man.

"Ready to leave, Sakura-chan? If we leave now we might be able to make it before tomorrow morning, or if we run at twice that pace, we could reach our destination before dark tonight, or-"

Sakura placed a hand over his mouth and gave him a stern look. "Lee, Shizune said it would take a day and a half and that's when we will arrive." She let down her hand and couldn't help but smile at him, "Haven't you out-grown that habit yet?"

The dark-haired shinobi rubbed the back of his head and laughed to himself, "I guess not."

As the young kunoichi started to speak again, she heard her voice called from behind her. She turned around to see Sasuke walking impassively toward her. She felt her face turn white and her mind started to ramble. _"Did she want Lee talking with him? Definitely not. What should she say to him?"_

She quickly turned to the taijustu master seeing him staring at the Uchiha with a livid look on his face.

"Please," Sakura started and got his attention back on her. "Don't be jealous."

She immediately turned on her heels and jogged to go meet to prodigy, leaving Lee out of earshot. He tried to avert his eyes away from the couple, knowing it impolite and apparent if he was to stare, but he couldn't kid himself, he had to watch over his cherry blossom. He stealthily peered over at the two shinobi as they seemed to be casually talking. All he could make out was words like "mission", "earthquake" and "one week". He increased his glare as he saw Sasuke's arm reach out to rub the medic nin's shoulder. Was he trying to say that he will miss her or was he just trying to apologize for their fight the other day in the same manner she had? Lee found himself not able to look away once he saw that Sasuke's hand didn't leave Sakura's shoulder, but instead moved up to her neck and her cheek. The young man began to see red as he saw the distance between the couple lessen and their faces move closer together and he lost it when he saw their lips meet. Lee quickly decided to look away to save himself the anger and pain. He promised himself he would not look in their direction and clenched his fists until they turned white with strain. How badly he wished he could go over there and rip the lips off of the Uchiha so he would be sure they wouldn't grace that sweet porcelain skin again. He broke this promise immediately and turned his whole body around to face the two shinobi when he heard the words "I love you" in dark, low voice.

"_She wouldn't say it back would she? She couldn't, not after she uttered those very same words to him last night when she was in his arms."_ Lee saw the pink-haired girl look down to the ground and suddenly right into his eyes, then back to Sasuke. For that split second when their eyes met, he saw for himself how badly the young woman was being torn, and it tore his heart.

Sakura took a few steps away from her boyfriend and said one last goodbye before she started back for the gate. Lee let out a sigh and followed her out of the village.

"_She hadn't said it! She could say it to me but couldn't bare it to say it to him."_ Lee was internally triumphant only to soon feel guilt at the joy he was getting from a situation that made his love feel tormented. _"Why could she only say it to me? Does she really love me? I believed it last night but…"_ He knew they were both in for a long mission.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sakura-chan?" Lee started for the fiftieth time. It was still followed without a response.

The two leaf shinobi were jumping from branch to branch on their way to the Hizen province. It had been four hours since they left the gates of Konoha with Sakura leading the way and Lee following behind her. Every few minutes, Lee would work up enough courage to call out to her, hoping to discuss what had happened with Sasuke before they left, only to be shot down with complete silence from the young woman.

The silence continued until the sun began to reach the edge of the horizon. "We should stop to take a quick break now," Sakura started in a quiet, hesitant voice, "that way we can make it there by noon tomorrow and start right away. Are you okay without any sleep tonight?" With her last question she snuck a small peek behind her shoulder at the man following her as he nodded with a shy smile on his face. _"He's probably happy that I'm finally talking,"_ she thought as she scolded herself, _"It seems my plan to not make a bigger mess of things failed. He's probably going to want to talk about the kiss I gave Sasuke, I don't blame him. What am I going to say?"_

The two both landed lightly on the ground beneath them and found a resting spot against a tree. Sakura began rummaging through her backpack as Lee adjusted his leg weights. Sakura kept glancing over at the dark-haired man sitting adjacent from her to see if he was staring at her, waiting for him to say something. Before she didn't want to break the silence, now it was killing her.

"Could I please see that mission file Sakura-chan?"

"Lee ple-" she started, half expecting him to bring up a conversation about what had happened before they left. "Wait, what?"

"The mission file, you have it right?" He looked up at her with a nonchalant look.

"Y-Yeah I have it right here," she stuttered as she grabbed the file and handed it to the taijustu master. As he grabbed it from her, she gave him a questioning look. Lee chuckled, "What is it?" he asked.

"Oh! Nothing, I just thought that you… that you would want-" she was cut off.

"Sakura, I just want to read the file. Aren't you that one who said that you really just wanted to focus on this mission?" he said in a sarcastic tone.

Sakura stuttered, not used to this side of Lee, but stopped when she saw him look up and give her a big goofy smile. _"Since when did he get this… this 'cool'? Well, sure he is still foolish and crazy, but to have me on edge like that. Plus, even though he probably really does want to discuss our relationship, he would put it off, for me."_

"Thank you Lee," she said quietly as she threw him an energy bar.

* * *

The two shinobi saw the edge of the forest and walked into a large clearing. Both noticed the conspicuous building that stood tall and lavish in front of several gates and a large hill on its southern side.

"Is this it?" Lee questioned.

"Must be. The Lord's mansion is at the north end of the province, and according to the mission file, the village is just behind that hill." Sakura responded.

"Hokage-sama said that there was some devastating damage done, but it does not look like anything is out of place here."

The dark-haired boy was right. The mansion stood with not so much as a split in the walls, an uneven gate, or a hedge untrimmed.

"The village must be a whiles away from here. Either way, we're supposed to go to the Lord's mansion for directions."

Lee nodded and the two walked to the front gates. A set of guards checked their shinobi ID and after confirming that they were the leaf shinobi that were sent for, let them in the main courtyard and they headed toward the mansions front double doors.

"Sakura-chan," Lee began to ask.

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever heard of this province before? I mean, with it being so close by I thought I might have heard of it once before."

"Uh, no," Sakura responded, distracted as she was analyzing the surroundings. "It's a small region, probably not used to any of this type of commotion."

The double doors were opened to reveal a short man in his fifties wearing grey robes. His hair was speckled with blacks and whites and his face was accompanied by a few smile lines and a pair of glasses. Underneath his grey tinted mustache protruded a welcoming smile as the two shinobi made their way up the steps to meet him.

"Welcome! I trust that you are Konoha's shinobi. I cannot express my gratitude enough that you have come to help. I am Eiji Saitou, the Lord's head advisor."

Both Lee and Sakura bowed to the older man. "It's a pleasure, I just wish it were on better terms," Sakura responded with a friendly smile. "My name is Sakura Haruno and this is my partner, Rock Lee."

The taijustu master saluted the man with a loud "Sir."

"You both are so young! Oh, how I envy you." He turned to Sakura, "And what a beautiful young woman. I love that, being able to kill a man with a smile, and a fist."

"Thank you Eiji-sama," she responded with a shy smile as Lee grinned widely by her side.

Eiji held a hand up to his eyes as if to shield out a bright light, "Whoa! Never mind, this smile could literally kill a man. Be careful young man, my eyes aren't what they used to me." Lee let out a hearty laugh, "Gomen nasai". "Please come in," Eiji said, holding the door open for the pair. They entered the main greeting room. The entire room was decorated with what seemed to be antique furnishing and embellishments. As the three continued walking, Sakura spoke up. "Are we meeting with the Lord?"

"No, no no," the elderly man said. "I am sorry but he is out with our troops surveying the damage." He said the last bit with a hint of pride. "I will be the one giving you directions for now."

They reached a small desk and each took a seat, the two shinobi facing the advisor.

"Hizen is old province that has been here since the forming of the Five Great Nations. It consists of mostly merchants in the village and farmers in the distant fields. Our main source of income is our crops and any tourists. Most of our village consists of older buildings so they were quick to collapse when the earthquake hit."

"Where was the most damage done?" Lee asked.

"Ah, that would be the caverns that border the edge of our province before the edge of the river that we use to export goods." Eiji grabbed a map from out of the desk and laid it in front of the two to show the layout of the region.

"Is that where we will be departed?" The pink-haired medic nin began.

"No, my Lord has instructed me to have you shinobi assist with reconstruction in the village and farmlands. He wants he and his men to work in that caverns, to see if there were any harmed in the few homes that neared there." Eiji's eyes began to drift and he grinned as he spoke this.

"Lord Kisho sounds very noble," Lee said, grabbing his attention.

"Oh, very much so! To put his people's safety before his own, he has truly proved himself to be a great leader for this great land.

"Have you lived here long?" Sakura question.

"Only my whole life." He smiled big, his eyes turning into crescent moon shapes.

"I just asked, no offense, because you seem to fairly cheerful, even after the damage done to your home."

The elderly man folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "That may be," he began to explain,  
but if I do not keep an optimistic attitude, to me, that is as just as bad as admitting defeat. Sure my land has been greatly damaged, but I know that we have the strength to overcome any obstacle."

"It seems we share similar beliefs," Lee responded, grinning widely. Eiji returned an understanding look as he stood from the desk and began walking toward a corridor.

"Come, let me show you to your rooms and then you can be departed as soon as possible. You will be staying in the guest's corridors at the far end of the mansion. "

"Excuse me, but wouldn't it be better for us to stay somewhere closer to the village?" Sakura question.

"My Lord figured it would be easier for you two to stay here close to his instruction, just in case of any special orders he would like to directly give you." Sakura and Lee followed the head advisor; next to the corridor was a large door. "Through these doors are the main kitchen, the study, and the servant's quarters. My Lord's corridor's are on the second floor."

The three continued walking until they reached their rooms that were seated next to each other. They entered their rooms separately to set down the equipment they wouldn't need for their time working. The rooms were very simple with just one bed, one desk, and one window looking out into a courtyard. Eiji lead the two shinobi out of the corridor and out an adjacent door.

"The village is just over that hill," Eiji began, pointing his finger that direction, "Follow the path for about 4 kilometers and it should lead you to where the village guards are stationed. They will give you directions on where you are to begin."

"Hai," the two responded simultaneously. "We won't let you down Eiji-sama, or the people of this great land. We shall serve with all our strength and bring honor to Konoha!" Lee finished his dramatic speech with his usual fist pump in the air.

The elderly man let out a chuckle, "Well I can say that he certainly does have a lot of enthusiasm."

"A bit too much," Sakura muttered under her breath as she put her hand behind Lee's head and forcefully pushed it forward, causing him to stumble along the path as she walked behind him. She turned her head back to Eiji, "We will update you on any progress," she called out before the two started running up the hill toward the village.

* * *

**Sorry this is such a short chapter and nothing much really happened, but I've been pretty busy. The good news is my schedule is freeing up and I have some of the next few chapters written so it shouldn't take me long to finish those. I'm really excited about the next events I have planned out.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

The two shinobi took off running down the dirt path, the high noon sun shinning on their backs. They began running toward the hill that overlooked the village, a visible fog in the distance. The air grew heavy as they ran into a thin atmosphere of dust toward the top of the rise. Both stopped in their tracks as the reach the top and gazed out at the village that lay on the other side, deep in the valley. Or lack of village, both shinobi thought.

"Oh no," Sakura uttered quietly. Lee standing at her side just stared silently.

It was hard to make out any picture of the village as a veil of dust and grit was spread over the entire area. Through the thick cloud of grime the quaint village in the valley looked more like ancient ruins. Rubble and debris laid strayed across the ground where buildings should be standing and any structures that were intact, looked as if to topple at any second. In the distance one could only hear loud rumbles, crashes, and shouts.

"Tsunade-sama wasn't kidding when she said there was still a lot of work to do." The medic nin said and turned to the young man at her side. He nodded and responded, "Well, we should get going. Where are the village guards stationed?"

Sakura tried to shield her eyes from the dust as she the scanned the village. She pointed her finger at the base of the valley. "There, I see the tips of the tents. Let's go."

As they headed toward the tents, the two got a better view of the damage. Shattered bricks, pipes and broken glass were just some of the wreckage that was scattered about. The area was completely uninhabited by humans but it was obvious that is was not always that way as amongst the rubble there was remains of beds, clothes and other possessions.

"Look at this mess," Sakura exclaimed while the two walked to the tents in the distance, "It's awful. I wonder how many are injured?"

"Do not worry Sakura, we can handle it." Lee said with a thumbs-up and his trademark smile.

"Tsk," Sakura muttered and rolled her eyes. "_He is always so optimistic, he even failed to miss the fact that he isn't going to be the one healing all the injured."_ As they got closer to the tents, the pair started to see and hear people running in and out of the tents. "Don't be so sure Lee. Besides, _you're_ the one with the rib injury," she added with a scowl. "I'm not even completely comfortable with you being on this mission."

"I don't think it will hinder my performance," he responded with a smile.

She gave him a questioning look, "How can you be certain?"

"Well," he started as they approached the entrance to the tent, "I didn't have any trouble pleasing you the other night." Lee's smile spread across his entire face and he quickly entered the tent, leaving Sakura wide-eyed and speechless. That is, until she processed his words and with her cheeks flushed, she stormed into the tent to give him a piece of her mind, or fist. She walked into the midst of frantically running, dirt covered, village guards dressed in dark blue uniforms searching for the green clad boy. She found him making his way through the crowd and when she reached his side, the pink-haired girl was only able to make out and angry "Lee," to chastise him before he raised his hand to his forehead to salute the man in front of them.

"Sir," he started "I am Rock Lee of Konoha. I have been sent to assist with the reconstruction of your village. To my side here is Haruno Sakura, a medic nin to help with the injured civilians."

Sakura straightened quickly, still embarrassed by Lee's comment, and looked up to the immense figure. She feigned a smile "Sir, we are both ready to start aiding you in any way."

The man, who had been sitting at his desk with a map sprawled out in front of him, rose and stepped to the two shinobi. He gestured to the smaller guard that he had previously been talking to leave and in a deep voice said, "Go and tell Lord Kisho this information." The smoking cigarette that hung loosely out of his mouth moved backed and forth as he spoke and his dark eyes didn't stop scanning the pair in front of him. His enormous stature was both intimidating and strong. He wore the same blue uniform as the other men around him, only his was garnished with awards. His jet-black hair fell just over his brow just barely hid the scar that went diagonal across his forehead. His prominent jaw stood out almost as much as his prominent biceps.

"So, this is what they send me from the great village of Konoha, a couple of kids." He muttered under his breath. "I am Takeda Kuya, captain of the guards, I trust that you have already met with Eiji." The two nodded reassuringly, hoping to not upset the already frustrated looking man. "I hope you are ready to start, there is a lot of work to do." He pushed by the couple, "Follow me."

Once the Captain had his backed turned, Lee immediately felt a shock of pain course through his body and looked down to see Sakura's heel jabbed into the top of his foot. "Ouch!" he yelped and grabbed his foot as the young medic frowned and started away from him. "That should teach you to say those type of things to me in public."

Lee put his foot down and followed after her, his hands raised in surrender, "Okay, okay point taken." They followed Kuya out of the tent and the taijustu master walked up to the side of the pink-haired girl and leaned in, "So, does that mean I can say those things to you in private?" Sakura looked up to his big smile and clenched her fist.

From behind, Kuya heard the sound of a fist making contact and a cry of pain as he rolled his eyes. "This is exactly why I started smoking again," he muttered.

* * *

The group first arrived at another tent stationed at the edge of the village, not too far from where all the guards were stationed.

"This is the medic tent and where you will be stationed," Kuya pointed at the young kunoichi. "They will have instructions for you inside. Good luck, you're going to need it." There was no sympathy or encouragement in his voice as he turned and started in a different direction. "Jumpsuit! You're with me, let's get going."

Lee startled at his loud voice and looked at Sakura. No matter how strong he knew his cherry blossom was, he knew that she needed some support. "You are going to be great, I know it. Be careful." His voice was gentle and his eyes seem to be pleading her to stay safe.

She put her hand on her hip and smiled, "Lee, we're shinobi! How bad can it be?" She looked up and met his eyes. They stared for a second before she said softly, "But thanks, and you too." Deep in the pit of her stomach arose the feeling of yearning and ache, a feeling she hadn't felt since the night at the hospital. It had been so long since she felt someone had such concern for her.

She watched the young man turn on his heels and follow the Captain while waving at her. She took a deep breath while she tied up her hair as she usually did before entering this type of situation. She braced herself as she threw open the tent entrance and walked inside. Once inside, her eyes widened. She gazed upon the row and rows of children and adults laying mats on the ground. She hated the look of those rows. She knew what they meant: many injuries, fewer medics, and, therefore, more casualties. The pink-haired nin knew right then exactly how bad it could be; she was witnessing it right in front of her. Bandages wrapped around heads, arms, and abdomens, stained red from blood and brown from dirt. Cries and screams accompanied by the gut-wrenching sound of limbs being popped back into place. And of course, the always painful tug of the sheet over the face of the deceased. Sakura quickly rushed these thoughts out of her head. This is what she was trained for, what she was sent here to accomplish. She couldn't let these things faze her anymore, not after all that she has been through, and somewhere in the back of her mind she heard a soothing voice saying "You are going to be great, I know it." She smiled to herself and went in search for someone in charge to start working. Sakura wasn't able to take two steps into the tent before a middle-aged woman grabbed onto her arm and pulled her down one of the rows.

"Oh thank the Gods!" she exclaimed. "You are a medic aren't you? Quickly, my son is just down here!"

Sakura was taken aback as the frazzled, short woman led her to a mat where a young boy laid. He looked to be about six years old, his shaggy brown hair stuck to his face with sweat and tears were streaming down his face while he sobbed and clenched onto his leg. His mother sat down at his side and rubbed his back calmingly. "It's okay now, a medic is going to get you all better, don't worry," she said in a relaxing tone. She eyed the jounin with desperate eyes, "Please," she uttered quietly. Sakura finally snapped back into the right state of mind and knelt next to the child. She removed his hands from the spot on his thigh where he was gripping to examine the area. Blood was rolling out of a cut on his leg that was about two inches in length. Protruding from the gash was a sharp piece of glass. With this Sakura quickly reached into her pouch around her waist and put on a pair of gloves.

"Will he be okay?" the mother asked with a worried look on her face, "Can you help him?"

Sakura glanced up at the woman before returning her attention back to the wound. "Yes, he should be fine," she grabbed lightly onto the end of the piece of shattered glass. "The problem is we don't know how deep this cut could be and it could be near nerves or blood vessels, but I can handle it." She looked at the young boy and said tenderly, "It will be fine, just hold onto your mother." He complied with her request and grabbed his mother's arm and hid his frightened face in her shirt. She pulled lightly on the shard of glass, hoping it was in the position to be pulled easily. With a little bit of pressure the pink-haired nin saw the slice come slowly out of the cut. The boy cried a bit harder into his mother's shirt, staining it wet with tears. "It's almost over, almost… there!" With the last word, Sakura saw the end of the shard leave the boys leg, but almost immediately, blood shot out and continued to ooze heavily from the laceration. _"Dammit!"_ Sakura exclaimed in her mind. She knew better not to every appear worried or fearful in front of a conscious patient, it could cause them to become even more anxious and could severely worsen the situation. Quickly, she grabbed gauze and pressed it to the wound. _"The glass hit a blood vessel; I have to stop it instantly"._ With both hands on top of the now bloody gauze, she concentrated until her hands produced the green aura and the familiar hum. She focused, visualizing each fiber she sought to connect and heal with her chakra. The boys crying ceased and the mother only gaped, still holding her son. Within seconds, the cut looked to grow smaller and smaller until it completely closed up. Sakura removed her hands and started wrapping the area with a bandage.

"The area may still be sensitive," she talked as she worked, "but the blood vessel is healed and all of the glass has been removed." She smiled and wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at her completed work.

The mother wasn't able to make out a "Thank you" before Sakura was grabbed by the arm again. This time she was pulled off the ground and stood face to face to a medic dressed in white. "Good, you've arrived! I trust by that display that you're the medic shinobi we've been expecting."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded, "Yes, Haruno Sakura at your service."

"Great. We need you're help right away. You can start with the severely injured. Right this way."

The medic started leading Sakura to a corner of the tent, "Hai," she responded. She started walking but turned to look out the entrance of the tent, down the destroyed street. _"Lee, please be safe."_

* * *

A distance away from the medic tent, the taijustu master diligently followed the Captain. "You'll be stationed at the east end of the village, for now," Kuyo started. "That was the most populated area and most of the buildings came down." As they walked, Lee noticed two guards running in the opposite direction as them. As they appeared closer, he could see that they were each carrying an end of a stretcher. The guards paid no attention to either Lee or the Captain; they just kept their eyes forward as they ran past the two. As they passed, Lee looked down at the stretcher. Lying there as the guard carried, was a young woman, or he guessed it was. Her face was battered, bloody, and bruised to the point where any features were unrecognizable. Her eyes were shut but he could see tears forcing their way through her swollen flesh. Being a shinobi, Lee was accustomed to gory images such as this one. Not only has he seen kunai sticking out of skin, katanas piercing through tissue, and brutal beating wounds, he had been the victim of many of those types of attacks. Even with this fact, Lee still flinched at the sight of the woman, but quickly bucked up. "It will be your job to help clear the remains." Kuya turned to the young man. "Look out for any supplies that is still usable: wood, clothing, anything. If there are any standing structures that may be saved, you will have to help reconstruct those as well. Your main concern though is survivors. Do not overlook any area and send anyone you find straight to the medic tents, they are of most importance."

"Right! I won't let you down Captain. I will use every bit of my strength and determination to make sure that your village will be restored. It's a promise!" he finished his enthusiastic speech with a thumbs up, wink, and a smile, complete with the proverbial "ping" of his teeth.

Kuya said nothing, just cringed and took a long draw on his cigarette.

In the distance Lee began to see figures moving upon mounds of remains and wreckage surrounded by a few diminutive buildings that were either slanted or dilapidated. Once they approached the large group of guards that were diligently working, Kuya halted and peered out. "Company!" he barked. Each guard in earshot stopped their movements and pivoted to face the Captain. The few guards that were pulling one of the several carts full of rubble looked relieved to have finally been able to have a break, one of them even muttered "Thank the Gods," and continued with not-so-kind words about the overly packed cart. Kuya stood with his legs shoulder width apart and put his giant fists on his waist. "We have some new information about this area, so listen up! Most of our restaurants and apartments were here so we can expect that there were many gas lines. If you smell gas you can suspect a leak so quickly try to find the main valve and shut it off immediately." Lee stood at his side, waiting for an introduction, "If you fail to do this, it could lead to an explosion, so don't waste any time!" he shouted. Followed in a quieter voice, he said "And this is a shinobi sent from Konoha to aid our village."

One of the guards who was carrying a shattered window frame perked up. "Wait, did you say shinobi?" The other guards around him stopped what they were doing and listened. "Oh, this is great! Can't you do one of those ninjustus to make clones of yourself?"

Lee rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, about that-"

Another guard, this time a young woman butt in, "Oh yeah! That would get the job done twice as fast!" she exclaimed before another guard holding a bed frame said, "Or maybe he could do one of those justus where he could make houses grow just out of the ground!"

There was excitement in the crowd while the dark-haired man tried to explain, "Well those type of shinobi are really rare, but I cannot do ninjustu anyways."

"Wait, what?" started someone in the crowd and the murmuring between the guards stopped. "You can't do ninjustu?"

Lee looked around nervously at the now confused looking group. "Um, n-no, I cannot-"

"You've got to be kidding me!" interrupted the guard carrying the window. The faces of the others quickly turned from confusion to disappointment.

"If you must know, my taijustu skills are beyond any-,"

He was interrupted again, "So, what are you going to do, punch some more of our buildings down?"

The tension in the mass grew intensely until the large man to the side of Lee bellowed, "Enough!" Kuya's deep voice was enough to have each guard shut their mouths and stand attention. "If this is what Konoha thought was best to send, then we have to trust their decision. Besides, we are in NO position to turn down help from anyone!"

In unison, the entire section of guards chanted, "Yes Captain!" and continued with what they were working on, some with the look of a guilty child on their face.

Lee had a stunned look on his face, partially because of the Captain's stern voice, but mostly because it seemed as if Kuya was stick up for him. "Well Jumpsuit," he turned to look at the smaller boy. The jounin half-expected an inspirational speech about doing your best and upholding the shinobi way, being spoiled by his sensei in that way, but instead the Captain headed in the opposite direction and said, "Don't get hurt, we don't have room to spare in the medic tents," leaving Lee amidst the rubble.

He stood for a while, just staring at the mess, thinking about all the people that may be hurt or dead just under their noses. He thought about how the guards might be right, maybe someone who actually could do ninjustu would be able to save more people. He quickly pushed all of the negative or pessimistic thoughts out of his head; that was not the Rock Lee way of thinking. _"YOSH!" _he thought to himself and patted his face as to psyche himself up, _"this is just another chance to prove myself what a splendid shinobi I am with hard work!"_

He started up the pile of wreckage and immediately got to work, following the guards lead and began sifting through the wreckage. He grabbed any larger, less damaged piece of furniture or building material and moved it to the side to be saved and reused while any small or completely shot debris ended up in one of the large carts, to be carried away. After a few minutes of working, the guards that were in the area gawked at the young man as he was carrying almost triple the weight that they managed to move. The staring continued as the shinobi graciously offered, more politely than they ever heard, to take over pulling the carts. The guards who were managing the carts quickly relinquished their positions, relieved as they collapsed onto the ground exhausted. Any of the accusations made previously that Lee wasn't a wise choice to send to them with his inability to perform justu were instantly dropped as the workers watched him pull the cart that formerly took four guards at an amazing pace. The word of the shinobi with "super strength" quickly spread throughout the area and more and more guards approached the young man asking for assistance for a particular problem. Lee, of course, accepted happily, always with a comment about "display his youthful vigor" or something similar. Even the female guard that had doubted him earlier now gazed at him admiringly as he lifted a stack of bricks for her. She went further and said, "Who needs a clone justu? You're doing enough work it's like there are twenty of you!"

The day dragged on as the sun traveled across the sky. Lee worked diligently, but admitted to himself that the job was rather boring. There was no fighting, no heroic actions needed, but determined not to lose his good spirit, Lee turned it into training. People around him quickly grew used to his chants about how if he didn't pull the cart at twice his usual pace, he would have to lift the entire stack of furniture with one arm.

It continued this way until his way back from hauling a load of decent lumber, Lee heard a cry in the distance. He perked up and looked for the source of the sound. He heard the cry again and quickly took off in the direction over top a large pile of wreckage.

"Quick! I need some help over here, NOW!"

Lee saw the source of the shouting to be a small guard kneeling on the ground next to the remains of a fallen building. He took off running in that direction.

"Hurry!" the man yelled as Lee approached, "There is someone under this!"

The taijustu-master crouched down to where the guard was peeking through a small hole in between the ground and the fallen wooden wall. He could barely make out the face of a girl in the darkened gap. He quickly grasped the edge of the wall, wrapping his fingers around the wooden border. He looked up at the massive pile of remains on top of the frame.

"Move back," he said calmly, "and when it is lifted, grab her quickly. I don't know how long the frame will hold the weight of the wreckage before it collapses on top of her."

The guard looked stunned. "You're going to lift it by your-" but was cut short as the man in front of him started lifting the huge frame along with the assortment of bricks and furniture on top of it. It was slowly rising from the ground as sweat began to bead on the forehead of the shinobi and he shut his eyes in concentration. His fingers gripped the frame until they turned white and his biceps began to bulge through his suit. The guard stood there in shock and awe as the frame was lifted higher and higher, exposing a bit of sunlight onto the young girl. Suddenly, Lee heard a loud cracking noise and opened his eyes immediately. Right over the top of where the girl laid, the wooden frame was stressed to the point of splitting. _"Shit!"_ Lee inwardly cursed as he saw the split grow bigger and continue to spread down the frame, looking to give way at any moment.

"What's happening?" The guard said over the rumble of breaking wood. The guard never got an answer. In a flash, Lee swung his foot into the gap next to the girl who still remained motionless. He quickly put on of his palms where the wood was splitting and took a deep breath in.

"Gate of Opening: Release!"

Almost instantly, the dark-haired man was standing under the wooden frame, both arms above his head, raising the entire weight. The guard stood still, jaw dropped, staring as he witnessed the young man lift the entire mass effortlessly. After a few seconds he heard a loud voice yell, "GRAB HER!" He quickly remembered his duty and jumped down into the space and kneeled next to the young girl, picked her up and hurried out into the open. Lee checked to make sure that both were at a safe distance and jumped out of the way of and let the frame crash to the ground with a thunderous thud. Opening the first of the eight gates was no longer a risky move for the jounin. He needed next to no time to recover which no longer left him open for more attacks. He brushed his hands off and from behind him, he heard the guard mutter, "Oh no."

The shinobi quickly turned on his heels to face the guard who was cradling the girl's upper body. Lee approached to pair. The girl was frighteningly pale, especially in comparison to her dark hair, and her face was sunken in. Her clothes were tattered and were covered in dirt and he could see a dark red liquid shimmering in the sun. As the sunlight hit her face, her eyelids began to flutter and her chest rose lightly as she took shallow breathes. Lee sighed in relief, she was alive, but as he stepped closer his eyes widened with shock. The guard looked from the girl to the shinobi with desperate eyes, wondering what to do about the wooden stake that was protruding from her stomach.

Lee's eyes grew bigger as he looked down at the six inch splintered rod covered in blood. "What do we do?" the guard asked in a worried voice.

"We need to get her to the medic tents, immediately," Lee responded calmly. The only thought that ran through his head then was Sakura. She would know what to do, she could save this girl.

"We need to find a stretcher," the guard said, frantically looking around in all directions.

"No," Lee said in a stern voice as he bent over the girl, "I'll take her, it will be much faster." He picked up the unresponsive girl in his arms, careful not to touch the stake or move that area too much. The guard looked about to object the idea of him taking her, but in a flash the green-clad shinobi took off in a blur toward the tents. He ran at full speed, reaching the medic tent in mere seconds. He walked into the white tent, looking around the crowd for any flash of pink hair. He eventually saw the girl he was looking for, she was crouched down next to an older woman who was grasping her arm. Lee ran in her direction.

"Sakura-chan!" he yelled.

Sakura looked from the old woman to Lee with a surprised look spread across her face. "Lee, what are you doing here?"

"This girl, we found her stuck under a fallen building." As he approached her, lower his arms to allow Sakura to see the girl in his arms. The medic nin looked down and gasped at the sight of the stake that was lodged in her abdomen. "Can you help her?" he looked at her pleadingly.

"I can try. Put her down over here." She guided him to a mat on the ground and Lee gently set the girl down on her back. He looked to Sakura's face as she analyzed the wound. Her face looked concentrated, and a little worried as she waved her glowing hands over the injury.

"Sakura-chan," he said. She lifted her brilliant green eyes to meet his dark ones. "You can do this, I know it."

The kunoichi nodded reassuringly and put her focus back onto her work. "It may be difficult, we don't know how deep this intrusion is. All we can do is hope for the best." Her hands began to glow more vibrantly and she placed one delicate, practiced hand lightly around the stake. She slowly began to pull on the wooden rod as her other hand was placed around the gash, healing as she removed the object. As she worked, the girl began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked to refocus her big blue eyes.

"She's awake!" Lee announced happily to Sakura, a relieved tone in his voice.

As soon as he said this, the girl looked down at the wound. All of the color drained from her already paled face and she began to shake slightly. Sakura felt this and looked to see her eyes roll back in her head as her body began to convulse violently. The pink-haired medic quickly removed her hand from the stake and attempted to hold her body still.

"She's going into shock," she looked at Lee worryingly. "Ask her questions, get her to focus on you."

Lee nodded his head. He wasn't going to let his cherry blossom down, she was counting on him. He looked into her face and spoke in a calm, soothing voice. "Hey, can you hear me?" he started, "Could you look at my eyes for me? Just try to focus on my eyes." The girls shaking eyes slowly found their way to Lee's comforting gaze.

"Good, very good," he said. "Can you tell me your name?"

The girl's voice was low and silent as she tried to speak her name. "T-Tora," she finally uttered.

Lee smiled lightly at her. "What a pretty name. How old are you, Tora?"

"I'm thirteen," she said in a small voice. Her body stopped shaking.

Their eyes never broke contact as Lee asked her question after question. As Sakura worked, her voice became stronger and color returned to her cheeks. Sakura glanced at Lee as he gave a warm hearted laugh when Tora confided that she did go to school, but spent most of her time in detention. The medic nin removed the stake and set it next to her and put both of her hands to work closing the wound. She smiled and thought to herself what a great job Lee did, keeping her distracted. Lee and Tora continued talking to one another as Sakura finished healing the injury. When it was finished, Lee was lecturing the poor girl about how his jumpsuit was not funny looking; it was a symbol of a great teacher-student bond and gave her the nice guy pose. Tora looked from Lee's overly enthusiastic face to Sakura with a puzzled look.

"Is this guy serious?" she asked.

Sakura chuckled lightly. "Yes he is. And he is also the guy that saved your life. Any longer without seeing me and you would've lost too much blood."

The girl sat up slightly and quickly wrapped her arms around the dark-haired boys neck, taking him aback slightly.

"Thank you," she said, and removed herself to lie back onto the ground.

"I promised to do all I could to save this village and its people. I couldn't break that promise now, could I?"

The young girl blushed and smiled back happily at Lee. Sakura removed her gloves and started to stand. Once she was off her knees though, she faltered and swayed to the side. Lee quickly caught her under her arms and helped her stand fully.

"Are you alright?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just used a lot of chakra today. There were a lot of severe injuries." She spoke as she felt how weak her body felt.

From behind them they heard a man cough and turned to see a Kuya standing behind them. He spoke in a kinder tone and said, "Well I think you have both earned a break. You have been traveling since yesterday and working all day, am I right?" The two nodded in agreement. "Well, back in the tent where the guards are stationed there should be food being served for the workers. Grab a bite to eat and head back to the manor and get some rest." Before either Lee or Sakura could say "thank you" the Captain turned his back to the pair and said, "I expect you both back here at dusk."

* * *

The two shinobi walked into the tent where the guards were station. The evening sun illuminated the tent to cast a faint red glow. In the far corner there were a couple tables, one of which had pans of obviously rationed food. Both piled their plates and found their way to an empty table away from a group of rowdy guards that were talking excitedly about "the fastest guy they had ever seen" and "the girl who healed the man who was missing half his skull".

"That was truly amazing, Sakura-chan," began Lee, complimenting her on her healing abilities.

"Thanks," she added shyly, a light blush rising in her cheeks. "Tora really was lucky that you found her when you did. How are you holding up though? It looked like you've had a rough day." She gestured, referring to the dirt and grim that covered his green suit and dirtied his usually shiny braid.

"Yeah," he said as he patted dust off of his flak jacket, "there certainly was a lot of cleaning up to do."

"If you want, I could heal you a bit tonight," she said reaching out to put a hand on Lee's arm, "You know, fix up some of these muscle tears."

Lee felt her warm hand through his suit and blushed at the contact. "S-Sure, that would be great."

The pair ate their meal, conversing back and fourth about what they had endured on their first day on the mission. Sakura mentioned how she thought the young Tora found a new crush today, saying she couldn't keep her eyes off of Lee and looked a little jealous when he had held Sakura when she faltered. Lee laughed, telling Sakura she was ridiculous, and the kunoichi had a devilish idea.

"So," Sakura started, twirling her cup around the table with her finger, "How's the dating world been for the handsome green beast of Konoha?"

Lee, who had been sipping out of his glass, started choking on his drink. He slammed his glass back onto the table and between coughs barley made out an audible "What!"

"You heard me." She eyed him as he averted her gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. "Girls must be banging at your door constantly."

"Sakura, do not play like that," He said with a shy smile.

"Who says I'm playing?" She responded with a devious grin.

The dark-haired boy blushed at her compliment and looked at her nervously. "Well, I have been really busy training and I spend most of my time going on missions," he paused to look at her. She had a sly smile spread across her face and she stared him down as she put her face in her hand. Lee could tell that she was getting amusement out of this situation. He blushed even harder, furrowed his brows and pointed an angry finger at her. "But it is not like I have not been on any dates!" He said in a louder tone.

"Really? I would love to hear about them," she said in a sarcastic tone, still grinning ear to ear.

Lee eyed her. No way he was not going to let her win this battle. He leaned back in his chair and said casually "As a matter of fact, just a few weeks ago I went on a date with the lovely waitress of the dango shop from the village."

Sakura looked at the boy suspiciously and tried to remember whom he was referring to. Ah yes, she finally remembered. Kamiko, the pretty red-haired girl whose parents owned the local dango shop. She also recalled a time when she went to go eat there with Ino and she overheard that same girl telling a friend about some cute shinobi that she planned on asking out. She had no idea that the young woman was referring to taijustu specialist. She imagined how nervous Lee must have of looked when Kamiko asked him on a date, considering the waitress was indeed fairly cute and not to mention very busty. Sakura immediately decided that she disliked this girl.

The pink-haired nin turned her face away "So, how was the date?" She secretly hoped that it was a disaster and secretly began questioning herself why she had wished that.

"You really want to know?" Lee looked questionably at the young woman across the table as she nodded. "Of course, and don't leave out any of the details," she finished with a smile.

"Well, it was just a simple date, she suggested that we go out for dinner that night," Lee looked up at Sakura and she nodded her head for him to continue. "So I took her to a local restaurant, nothing too fancy, and we just talked. She was actually very clever and seemed pretty interested in my stories about my past missions, and…"

As Sakura was listening to Lee, thoughts started forming in her mind, and she hated to admit it, but they were all catty thoughts about Kamiko. _"Tsk, she probably only asked out Lee because she wanted to date a shinobi, and Lee was just too nice to see her true intentions."_ Even with these thoughts brewing, Sakura tried to not let her jealousy show.

"We talked all night, until the restaurant closed, and neither of us realized it", he said with a slight chuckle and Sakura could feel her fist unintentionally curling into a fist, "so we decided to stroll through town. I have to admit I was a little taken aback when she grabbed my hand."

The young kunoichi saw the smile that began to form on Lee's face and swore that she began to see red. _"What could this girl possibly offer Lee, I don't like situation at all! She is obviously just some ditsy waitress, nothing but tits on legs."_

Sakura once again tried to silence her inner thoughts but they kept coming back to her. "So how did the date end?" She asked the young man with a raised eyebrow, feigning her pent up spite.

"Really well," he almost yelled the last part but caught himself, "I guess." We were just walking down an empty street and she pulled my arm down and kissed me! She quickly pulled away and apologized, saying that she had been wanting to do that all night. I was just shocked to tell the truth," he beamed.

Sakura had to put her glass on the table in fear that it might shatter in her fist. _"That BITCH! She is definitely not right for Lee! He needs someone stronger, someone to watch out for him. Not some bimbo who wouldn't ever be able keep up with him."_ Sakura couldn't remember the last time she was this jealous, she doubted a time ever existed.

"Was there ever a second date?" Sakura questioned, with an irritated look on her face.

Lee blushed and started twiddling his thumbs on the table. "Well," he began, "I thought that we would, it ended with a kiss after all, but then…" he paused.

Sakura looked at him and almost suddenly, all of her jealous thoughts turned to concern. He looked ashamed and slightly guilty, a face that she has seen a lot lately. _"Don't tell me that he ruined everything by going to far with her on the first date!"_ Sakura never thought Lee to be a type capable of trying that, but she couldn't help feeling that the young girl took advantage of the naïve boy. "What happened?" She asked with a worried look.

"Nothing really… just nothing actually." He responded.

"Lee, you are an awful liar, I see the guilt all over your face. Come on, you can tell me!" Sakura said reassuringly, wanting so badly to hear the end of this story.

Lee sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hid the story from Sakura forever. He started to explain to Sakura to conclusion to the date. "Well, Kamiko asked what the Springtime of Youth was when I was walking her back to her home, I guess I must have brought it up at some point." Sakura felt like muttering a "No shit" but decided to keep silent. "So I explained to her as we walked about the passion, determination, and hot-blooded rivalry, and she seemed very enthused about the topic, but as I got the importance of self-inflicting rules I kind of…" he paused again, his face burning with embarrassment. "I, uh… got to excited I guess, and I did one of my fist pumps in the air and I… I kind of… accidentally, I mean I wasn't paying attention!" he lowered his voice and hid his face away from the young medic nin, "punched Kamiko in the face, and… broke her nose."

By this time, Lee's face was bright red and his eyes were kept his eyes shut in embarrassment. Sakura just stared at the boy with a surprised look on her face. It was silent for about 10 second until the young man looked up at the pink-haired nin. "Sakura?" He uttered silently. Suddenly she started roaring with laughter, which caused the young man to spring up in his seat. Her loud laugh filled the tent and she started slamming her fists on the table and grabbed her stomach while rolling around in her seat, hysterically laughing. Lee with an even more intense blush staining his face leaned forward in his seat.

"Oy oy oy! Sakura-chan it is not funny! She was really hurt, I mean she was bleeding everywhere!" He desperately tried to plea his case to her but it only made the pink-haired girl laugh harder. "People on the streets were starring a-and I tried to stop the blood b-but it just kept coming!" Tears were now streaming out of Sakura's eyes and she was gasping for air. Her display only frazzled Lee further. "I had to take off my arm wraps and stuff them up her nose to stop the blood but she saw the blood on her hands and started to freak out and… and it was just a disaster."

Sakura saw, between the tears in her eyes, the defeatist look on his face and tried her hardest to silence her laughter. "I'm sorry Lee, I'm sorry," she said as she wiped a tear away from her eye, "but that has got to be one of the funniest things I have _ever_ heard."

From across the table the dark-haired boy folder his arms and turned his face into a scowl, "Yeah, yeah I know, that is exactly what Tenten said, even Neji laughed a bit when I told them the story. I guess I'm just a screw up when it comes to dates."

"Oh come on Lee! Don't pout like that," Sakura reached out and rubbed his arm consolingly, "I'm sure that there have been plenty of other people who had worse dates."

Lee perked up a bit, "Really?"

"Yeah of course. Naruto told me that once while he was on a date with Hinata he had one too many bowls of ramen and ended up having to run out of the shop to throw up! All you did was-"

Lee finished the sentence for her in a serious tone, "Basically maul my date by punching her in the face and shattering her nose."

There was silence again at the table, until once again Sakura burst into uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

The sun was sinking lower and lower into the horizon as the two walked the path back to the manor, their stomach's full. The tip of Kisho's mansion came into their vision as the trees shadowed their course. It had been silent as they walked until Sakura spoke with an airy voice.

"You know, I was nervous, having you come on this mission, after the night we spent at the hospital," she looked up at Lee's face, which looked dumbfounded. "But now I realize that I was just being foolish." She finished her statement and rested her head on the young man's shoulder as they continued walking. Lee said nothing, not wanting to ruin the moment he thought was perfect.

"_This has to be a sign that what she said to me the other night was true! It just has to be real, she really does have feelings for me!"_ he said to himself. It was the first time they discussed the night they spent together in the hospital, and Sakura wasn't showing any regret toward it. It relieved his biggest fear.

They walked silently as the reached the entrance to the mansion walked into the grand foyer.

"Well, I think I'm going to go straight to bed," Sakura started. "You heard Captain Kuya, and I'm kinda afraid what will happen if we show up late."

"I think I'm going to have a look around here, try to find the kitchen," Lee said rubbing his stomach as if still hungry. Sakura just looked at him and giggled to herself.

"You're a bottomless pit aren't you? Well goodnight, Lee-kun."

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan."

The pair lingered there for what seemed like hours to them both. They looked longingly at each other, waiting for the other to leave for their destination but instead found their heads leaning closer and closer together. Lee smelt Sakura's sweet sent and felt goose bumps. Sakura felt Lee's breath an inch away from her lips and felt her knees weaken. She closed her eyes instinctively as their lips barely brushed one another. Suddenly a picture of Sasuke flashed before Sakura's closed eyes. She pulled away almost instantly, the thought of Sasuke now plaguing her mind.

"What is wrong?" Lee positioned himself in front of Sakura; "I thought we…" he drifted off.

"It's just," Sakura started averting his gaze. She knew there must be a reason why Sasuke flashed before her mind. "I don't know. It's just… just, I feel like that night was a…" She paused, not wanting to finish her sentence.

"A mistake?" Lee finished for her, giving her a stern look and a direct voice.

Sakura said nothing in respond. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, affirming Lee's assumption. Lee felt a pain in his heart. _"It wasn't real then, she doesn't love me."_ This feeling was soon replaced by anger toward the young woman.

The dark-haired man decreased the distance between the two, as in an intimidating manner. "I meant every word I said that night, Sakura," he said in a serious, blunt voice then grabbed her arm, forcing her to look up from the ground into his eyes, "Didn't you?"

Sakura stared at his face; her mouth open searching for words but no words came. She quickly pushed passed him without letting him see her face and made her way for the hallway that lead to her room. Lee stood there, still staring at where she had been, his face turning into a scowl. He couldn't help himself. He began to see red and clenched his fists in frustration. His usual cheerful demeanor was replaced by anger and jealousy, emotions not too common to the young man. He spun around and began to follow the pink-haired girl down the corridor, staring a hole in the back of her head as words began to flow.

"Did you mean what you said to me or were you lying the whole time?" He increased his speed so that he was on the tails of her feet as she continued averting his gaze, walking faster and faster. "You said that you loved me. Did you mean it?" Lee couldn't stop the words from escaping his mouth, nor did he care to at this point. "What kind of game are you playing Sakura? Is this some sick game to you, do you feel like you have accomplished something?" Lee's words became louder and louder as he began venting all the frustration that had been building and building inside of him. He wasn't thinking rationally, the only thought that was going through his mind was that he wanted to hurt her, as she had hurt him. "No, that's not it either. You are just too immature to make a decision, aren't you? To afraid for _yourself_ that you do not care whom you are hurting. Is that it Sakura? Tell me! Tell me because I do not know what to believe anymore!" By this point, Lee had stopped following her, leaving her a few feet in front of him so he began to shout. "Are you _that_ selfish that you would deceive both me and the man waiting for you at home? Lie to me and cheat on him!" He saw that once her brought up Sasuke she slowed her steps but the dark-haired man didn't stop yelling. It took all of his will not to run up to the girl and force her to look him in the eye. "You need to _grow up_ Sakura! Tell me how you really feel for _once_. Tell the truth and stop being such a COWARD!"

He stopped speaking, his back was heaving with heavy, fast breaths and anger as his eyes stared down the woman in front of him. His final words lingered in the air and only did the rage in his eyes diminish when he heard a slight sniffle and saw her back tense.

"_Oh no" _he thought, _"What have I done!"_ Lee's eyes widened as he finally began to process the words he had said. He almost began to shake as his voice became laden with guilt and remorse as he took slow steps toward the girl.

"S-Sakura I did not mean that. Please-" He reached out to touch her arm only to have it quickly hit away by a furious hand with a loud "DON'T!" as Sakura turned to face the young man. Lee stared into her eyes and saw them dripping with tears, full of anger and pain. She leaned into his face, gritted her teeth and poked her finger sharply against his chest. "You are – _just_ – _like_ – _him_." Each word she uttered felt like a cold stab as he heard the anguish in her voice.

She stared into the man's eyes. Lee had never seen her eyes filled with that much fury and distress, not even after an argument with Sasuke. Her furrowed brows quickly turned upward and tears began to stream from her eyes as she quickly turned away and made off running down the hallway to her door, sobbing into her hands. Lee began to chase after the pink-haired woman with an outreached arm yelling "Please wait Saku-" until he was cut off by the slamming of her door. He stared at her door, seeing it shake violently. He was left, all alone, the silence of the hallways leaving him to his thoughts. _"How could I have done something like that?"_ How badly he wished he could have gone back in time to stop himself from hurting her. How badly he wished he could just talk to her, but that was not possible. _"I shouldn't even be allowed in her presence after what I had said to her, let alone be able talk to her,"_ he thought. _ "She will never forgive me for this… I will never forgive myself for this."_ he thought. He lowered his arm, head, and body by bending is knees until he was sitting on his heels. He brought his hands up to the back of neck and used his elbows to shield his face as he sat there underneath the dim lighting of the hallway.

Sakura furiously slammed her bedroom door, leaving the dark-haired shinobi alone in the corridor. Her breathes were fast and uneven as she began to choke on tears. She left her hand on the door knob as she leaned her head against her other arm on the door, her tears forming a puddle on the floor. The young woman felt her knees become weak so she put her back up to the door and used it as support as she slid down the wall into a crumbled pile on the floor. With her head resting on top of her knees and arms wrapped around her legs Sakura attempted to steady her breathing. She tried to stop the tears from flowing as well, but it was no use. Each word, its tone, sound, and meaning was still rambling in her mind and still felt like a sting, each a jarring throb.


	5. Chapter 5

The ground was hard and dry as her feet stomped hard across its surface. She ran quicker and quicker, never stopping unless to look around and take off in a different direction. It felt as if she had been running in this pointless forest for ages. Each tree she passed looked the same as the last: dead, dry, and lifeless. Her heart began to pump harder as she ran faster. The only sound she could hear was her heavy breathing and the slight crackle of the dead branches as she ran by. She had no idea where she was, when she started running, or what she was running to, all she knew was that she had to keep going, no matter how long it took. She finally collapsed with her back against a tree, panting from exhaustion. The bark of the tree felt cold against her skin and started to chill her whole body. As her chest rose and fell, she wiped the cold sweat from her face as she looked to the sky above her. She didn't know what time it was but she could tell it was either dawn or dusk and she couldn't rest for long, she had to keep moving. In the pit of her stomach she knew that if she didn't find her way out of the forest something horrible was going to happen. She stood up and desperately spun around, looking in every direction for a way out of this forest. She had never before felt so utterly lost and confused. Her head began to pound as she felt tears build up in her eyes as she frantically searched for something, some sign of life, but the only thing she saw were the dead trees that began to grow thicker around her. The closer the trees got to her, the more hopeless she seemed felt. The crackling of the branches seemed to grow louder and the sky grew darker. She balled her fist in her eyes to try to stop the tears that poured out. She stopped her movements and in one last effort let out a small whisper, hoping someone would hear her plea. "Please," she said in a quiet voice, "Please, help me."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the deafening creaking of the branches ceased and she felt warmth from the sky begin to shine on her. A light breeze came in from the north and made her pink hair dance around her. She uncovered her eyes, wiped the tears from her brilliant green eyes, and faced the direction of the wind. She saw something in the distance, something small, as the wind grew stronger and stronger. She squinted, trying to identify the object, and in one last gust of wind, a small, green leaf danced widely in the wind around her before falling lightly to the ground at her feet. She bent down slowly and gently picked up the tiny leaf in her hands. While the leaf was small, she knew that it was not something insignificant, it was important. The newly appearing sun made it glow a vibrant green and she closed her fist around it and brought it to her chest. She felt a new hope filling her and she looked in the direction where the leaf came from. In the distance she could see what she was looking for this entire time as the bright green treetops came into sight. Without another thought, she ran as fast as she ever has toward the lush forest, seeing it come closer and closer to her with every step. She could feel the warm breeze coming from within the forest, she could smell the fresh grass, and she grew more and more excited the closer she came to the strong trees ahead of her. She smiled as she was mere feet away from her destination and with her last step, she felt the ground move beneath her. She looked down and saw the ground crumbling beneath her feet. The ground began to quake and eventually she lost all balance and fell down along with the piece of earth, her hands reaching for the ground of the forest. With her outreached hands, the small leaf left her palm and was taken upward, away from her fingertips. She spun widely down into the dark, the bright green leaving her sites, and landed with a thud.

Sakura sprung up violently from her bed with a gasp. Her breaths were fast and uneven and she surveyed her surroundings. She was in a small, plain room, sitting up in her bed as sunlight began to enter through the windows.

"It was only a dream," she whispered to herself as she tried to calm her breaths. Her skin felt cold and sweaty against the sheets of the bed. She flopped back onto her pillow, her hands rubbing her exhausted eyes. It had taken her hours to fall asleep and her unsettling dream had taken its toll on her as she felt just as fatigued as she had after the previous day of healing countless civilians. The pink-haired girl looked out the one window in her room to see the bright sun making its way over the horizon. She pleaded with it for a moment, asking it to settle back down on the other side of the horizon, but decided she wouldn't be able to sleep anyways, and swung her legs off the side of her bed. No matter how tired she felt, she promised to be back in the field at sunrise to resume her duties, and something told her she didn't want to get on Captain Kuya's bad side.

The kunoichi strolled across the room, her long pink nightgown dusting the wooden planks of the floor. She entered the small bathroom attached to her bedroom and approached her pack to began to strip down and suit up. After her promotion to jounin, Sakura decided it was time to upgrade her outfit, seeing as her old shirt was too tight on her chest and her skirt started to become shorter and shorter. It brought her some unwanted attention from some of the local men and name calling from the women. The kunoichi slipped on her red top that zippered to the tip of her naval, adorned with her usual white circle on the back. After, she pulled on a pair of tight black pants that went down to her knees and fastened her long, pale pink skirt around her waist that billowed out around backside. She packed a variety of medicine, medical tools, and weapons into her pouch that she kept around her waist and tied her longer pink locks into two loose ponytails. Sakura looked up to the small mirror above the sink and through the thin layer of dust that covered it, she could see her usually bright green eyes red and puffy from crying the night before. She quickly washed her face in the skin and rubbed her eyes, hoping to get rid of bags of exhaustion, but decided that it was no use and made for the door leading to the hall. The corridor was empty, light just starting to pour in through the windows. It was quiet; the only song was morning birds chirping outside. Sakura walked up slowly to the room next to hers, trying to silence the sound of her steps, and pressed her ear lightly against the door. She didn't sense anyone's presence and didn't hear any rumble of someone sleeping or any sound at all, and decided her partner must have left already.

Immediately when the thought of Lee passed her mind, Sakura felt a huge weight on her chest. How was she going to face him today? She wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to speak or see her again. She slowly strolled down the hallways and made for the foyer, not in a hurry to face her fears.

The kunoichi stepped outside of Lord Kisho's mansion, the early morning sun warming her skin. The courtyard outside the front of mansion sparkled in the light, the morning dew on the grass and flowers shining brightly. Sakura couldn't believe that just beyond the hill, death and destruction was waiting for her. The courtyard was filled with an array of brightly colored flowers, shrubs, tall trees, and stone walkways. She was just admiring the daffodils when something in her peripheral caught her eye. Sakura stepped up to a row of flowers, all with light purple petals and a dark purple stem.

"Nightshade," she whispered as she delicately touched the petals. She knew the plant very well. It was an herb that was commonly used as a sleep agent, or when combined with the correct ingredients, it could make a quick anesthetic good for surgeries. At that moment, she heard someone approach.

She turned to see Eiji, walking slowing out of the front of the mansion. "Ah, Sakura-san, I trust that you are enjoying your stay here?"

"Good morning Eiji-sama," she called back, "and yes, the mansion is beautiful."

Eiji walked down the steps from the enormous palace. "I've always considered myself lucky that I not only get to work here, but that I am allowed to live here as well."

"Really?" Sakura exclaimed, staring at the five-story tall mansion, "that is lucky."

The old, feeble man walked up to the side of the young woman. "The wife and I live right over there," he pointed to a small, quaint cottage, lying on the opposite side of the courtyard. "It's not the palace, but I still get the great view."

"It's very lovely," Sakura commented, "especially this garden. You seem to have some rare medical herbs."

"Ahh yes," Eiji bent down and admired the Nightshade, "my Lord Kisho is very fond of herbal medicine. It's kind of a hobby for him. He usually tends to all of his herbs in his greenhouse on the west side of the mansion."

"That might be helpful for me as well. I'm running low on anesthetics, but if I mixed a bit of this Nightshade with it, it would make it last longer. Would it be alright if I grabbed a couple petals?" Sakura asked.

"By all means! The green house is full of them."

Sakura plucked several flowers and stored the petals neatly in a vial in her medical pouch. "Thank you Eiji-sama, but I must be heading back into the village now. I promised Captain Kuya that I would return early and I don't think I want to disappoint him."

Eiji chuckled lightly. "I understand. Takeda can be an intimidating man, but he can be sweet once you get to know him. I was just about to head down to the village as well, I'll walk with you."

The pair started off onto the path into the village, leaving the gardens behind them. "So, where is your partner?" Eiji questioned, "I thought that you two would've been working together."

Sakura's eyes widened at the mention of Lee, but she thought of an excuse quickly. "I'm sure that he is already at the village, getting an early start." She faked a small smile.

"That boy really does have a lot of energy, doesn't he?" Eiji responded.

Sakura nodded as Eiji looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "So," he started, "if you don't mind me asking, are you two a couple?"

Sakura looked to the old man and stammered, "W-what would make you think that?"

"Well, it's just that you two looked to be very close, and I always thought that I had a good eye for things like that."

Sakura waved her hand to disregard his comment, "Well, you might want to get your eyes checked out because we're just comrades. That's it." She chuckled lightly.

"Damn. I apologize for being nosey." The old man returned her smile.

"No hard feelings." She responded as the pair came closer to the village. She exhaled slowly. She hoped that Eiji hadn't picked up on her nervousness at the mention of Lee. The thought of confronting him today left a sour feeling in her gut, and she began to wish that she had eaten something. As they walked further down the path, the air became heavier as dust from the village started to fill the atmosphere. It became thicker and heavier as they approached the hill that overlooked the village. As Sakura reached the top of the hill and looked down into the dusty, destroyed village, she began to sweat as she knew that somewhere, out in the fallen buildings, was Lee.

Sakura tried to calm herself down as she and Eiji approached the tents that lay at the base of the valley. Just as the day before, the tent was full of village guards in their dark blue uniform, busily taking or giving orders. As the two moved through the crowed, the towering stature of Captain Kuya came into their sight.

"Good morning Takeda!" Eiji called out cheerfully. The giant dark-haired man turned to meet Eiji, his cigarette lightly between his lips.

"Ahh, Eiji-sama," he took a puff from his cigarette, "good morning."

Sakura waited by the side of Eiji, noting how kind Captain Kuya was to the old man, certainly a side of the Captain that she hadn't seen yet.

"I was just wondering where Lord Kisho may be, I have some things to report from his estate." Eiji asked.

"Right," Kuya looked down at the large map that was sprawled out on a desk in front of him. "He is down by the river, helping with the reconstruction of the ports."

"Splendid," Eiji responded. "Take it easy now, Sakura." He patted Sakura on the shoulder and gave her reassuring nod as he departed from the tent.

Sakura stepped up to the desk in front of the Captain. "Haruno Sakura, reporting for duty."

The smile that had been on the Captains face disappeared as his face returned to the stern, intimidating face Sakura had known previously. "You're late," he replied shortly. Before Sakura had a chance to apologize, he gave her an order "You will be back at the medic tents today, some patients have gone into critical condition, so hurry."

Sakura nodded and before she could open her mouth to ask if Lee had reported to him this morning, the large man exited the tent as well. She sighed and worked her way through the crowd again. She exited the tent and made her way for the medic tent through the thick cloud of dust.

* * *

There is only one way to describe the feeling; death. Not just blood or dead bodies, but death. The blood, corpses, tears, pleads, and screams all combine into one familiar feeling. That's what Sakura thought as she stepped into the Medical Tent. She had been around death often, but she never quite got used to walking into a room filled with nothing but death.

As she entered the tent, she hurried over to the critical care section. She quickly put up her hair and slipped on a pair of gloves. As she approached the area, a young, tall, scrawny man dressed in a white medic uniform ran up to her.

"Oh thank Gods you're here," he exhaled with relief, "we had several patients go from a stable condition to critical last night. They are waiting over here." He pointed to a row of cots.

Sakura nodded and started to unzip her medical pouch around her waist. She grabbed the man by the arm and dragged him behind her as she made her way over to the patients. "I'm going to need your help," she said with a determined look on her face, "we are not going to lose anyone today."

"Y-Yes ma'am," the man stuttered.

Sakura knew that there wasn't much she could do about her problem with Lee at this moment, but she could help these patients, and she thought she could use that good karma.

* * *

"Sho, place your hand here please." Sakura directed the young man as the two worked to heal a civilian with a piece of rebar through his shoulder.

"Yes ma'am," he said as he diligently moved his hands.

"Sho, for the last time, just call me Sakura, not ma'am. Okay?"

"Right. Sorry Sakura," the young man blushed as Sakura smiled lightly. Sakura learned the Sho was 17 years old training to be a medic when the earthquake struck. He had mostly been working nights since. His blue eyes, though droopy with sleepiness, had an eagerness to them that seemed to glow whenever Sakura showed him a new medical technique. He had dusty blonde hair and freckles strewn across his nose.

"Okay, on the count of three, I want you to pull the rest of the rebar out." Sho nodded as Sakura checked on the patient. The older man was still out cold. The addition of the Nightshade to her anesthesia really made a difference. Her patient would now wake up less drowsy but would still be knocked out for the duration of the procedure.

"1, 2, 3!" The kunoichi counted and Sho pulled the rebar straight out. Sakura's hands flashed blue as she quickly worked to patch up the hole in his shoulder.

"Wow," Sho said under his breath as he watch the pink haired medic patch up the wound. "That's amazing ma'am!"

"Sho, you said it again."

"Oh, right. Sorry Sakura. I guess it's just because you're so intimidating."

Sakura glanced at the young medic as she wrapped a bandage around her patient. "Intimidating?"

Sho blushed even harder and started waving his hands. "That's not what I meant !" He stammered a bit, "I mean, you're just so, so…"

Sakura laughed, "Sho, it's okay. I've been called a lot worse." The blonde man sighed with relief. "And you better be prepared to get all sorts of names yelled at you. It's not easy trying to fix up people when they aren't knocked out like this. They will call you every bad name they can think off."

"Right, I'll make note of that," said Sho.

Sakura stood and stretched her arms above her head until she heard a satisfying pop in her back. "Let's take a short break, stretch out a bit. We are going to tackle the woman with the shattered hand next so we are going to be sitting there for while."

Sho nodded as he stood up and dusted off his medic uniform. Sakura walked over to the opening of the tent where the door flaps were pulled back. Through all the dust and destruction she could make out images of people running back and forth, carrying debris and some carrying people. At that moment, she wondered about Lee. Was he okay? Was he torn up about their fight last night? She knew that she was.

"I can't believe Nana is out there," Sakura heard a quiet voice behind her. She turned around to see Sho staring beyond her, out into the mess.

"Excuse me?" Sakura questioned.

Sho snapped back to reality. "O-Oh sorry. I was talking to myself," he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just that," he paused, "I have a friend out there. A good friend."

Sakura folded her arms and a sly smile went across her face. "Oh, Nana was it? Just a good friend?"

Sho chuckled. "Yes. She is a great friend. She's smart and strong. I honestly don't know how she is working out there day after day. And when she comes back, covered in dust and blood, she is still smiling." Sho shuffled on his feet a bit, "And I guess I do like her, I just haven't really told her… yet."

A picture of Lee popped into Sakura's mind and she smiled to herself. She turned around and put a hand on Sho's shoulder. "Come on," she gestured, "Let's get back to work. Prove yourself to her."

Sho smiled and a determined smile spread across his face. "Yes, good idea."

"_Let's prove ourselves to both of them."_ Sakura thought to herself.

As the two headed back to their patients, Sakura heard a faint rumble. A tingle went up her spine and she immediately spun around on her heels to look out the tent. She felt a strange surge of power, almost like chakra. She squinted to see civilians and guards running toward the tent as the rumble grew louder and louder.

"What's that?" Sho asked.

Sakura ran out of the tent with Sho following her. She stepped out into the panicked crowd as people frantically ran past her, shoving her out of their way. In the distance, the kunoichi could see the tips of building begin to crumble as a huge cloud of dust started to form, enveloping the town heading toward the nin. Sakura felt a subtle vibration under her feet that shook the pebbles on the ground near her. The tremors increased tenfold as the cloud of dust and collapsing buildings advanced forward. She looked down to see the ground beneath her feet start to crack and split.

"Shit," Sho cursed, "It's happening again!"

"Oh no" Sakura whispered to herself as she started hurrying into the crowd of civilians.

She called out behind her, "Sho, stay here and take care of any newly injured!" She saw the medic nod and she began sprinting into the crowd, toward the marketplace. In that instant, the only thing that was running through her mind was that Lee was somewhere out there. She needed to find him, make sure that he was okay, get him to safety. She weaved between the villagers, nearing the marketplace and she saw buildings begin to topple in the distance. Images flashed before her eyes, images of Lee being crushed by a building or being trampled by the crowd. Sakura closed her eyes, trying to force the images out of her mind. Distracted by her thoughts, she failed to avoid a charging man, who knocked her aside into a brick building. The back of her skull collided hard with the brick causing her to cry out in pain. She saw stars and fell to her knees as she felt her consciousness trying to leave her. The kunoichi shook her head, her ears ringing and the back of her head throbbing. She tried to steady her breath as she scanned her surroundings. Through her blurred vision, she saw the panicked crowd of civilians running past her, hurrying out of the marketplace. The sound of their shouts and cries was replaced by the increased rumbling of the earthquake. Sakura stood slowly, rubbing her aching head, using the building as support.

Through the rumbling, she heard a sudden cry of help. Across the street, on the far side of the marketplace, the kunoichi could barely make out the outline of a small boy running down the street. He hobbled slightly and was clutching his left leg as he dragged it behind him. None of the people in front of him seemed to notice his cries for help and kept running. His movement stopped all together once the ground beneath him gave way and he fell and skidded forward on the street. Sakura focused her vision and started taking slow steps toward the boy, only to drop to her knees again without the support of the wall. The trembling grew stronger and deafening when suddenly the large building next to the child became displaced and started shifting in its place. The foundation of the building crumbled and Sakura's eyes widened as she saw it began to topple in the direction of the boy. She quickly picked herself up and staggered off in the direction of the child, trying to quicken her pace with every step of her woozy legs. The building started falling, uprooting itself from ground as the pink-haired nin ran faster and faster. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched the ten story building start to close in on the child.

"_Please make it!"_ She screamed in her mind. _"Please make it in time!"_

As she came closer to the boy, she saw his eyes filled with fear as he threw his hands up to shield his face.

"_I'm not going to make it," _she thought as the falling structure came within several yards of the boy. Sakura thought quickly and slid feet first under the building up to the side of the child and halted at his side. She grabbed him under his arms and immediately tossed him out of the way of the falling building. Just as the boy landed, Sakura saw the dark shadow of the building spread over the ground around her. She turned quickly and saw that she was inches away from the side of the brick structure. The only thing that she could think to do at that moment was to clench her eyes shut and brace herself for the bone-crushing pain that was certainly coming.

In a flash, Sakura felt arms around her and wind in her hair as she heard a large crash of the building toppling to the ground close by. She opened her eyes and was face to face with a green jumpsuit. Sakura and her rescuer landed a short distance away from the building, which now lay shattered on the street, kicking up a cloud of dust. The pinkette looked down to see tattered, strong arms holding her bridal style and looked up to her savior's face to see Lee. He stared at the fallen building in disbelief and was breathing heavily. Above one of his furrowed eyebrows, a cut gushed blood that streamed down the side of his face.

"Lee!" The kunoichi exclaimed, her heart still beating incredibly fast.

The dark-haired man met Sakura's eyes and instantly had a worried look on his face.

"Sakura, I- I," he paused and bit his lip, searching for the right words to come to mind. "I am so sorry Sakura," he blurted out, startling the kunoichi. She sat in his arms with a confused look. She asked herself why the man who just saved her life would be apologizing. "I cannot believe I said those things to you, I hate myself for hurting you like that!" he continued. Sakura then realized what he was shouting about and almost laughed. She thought it was funny how a near-death experience put things into perspective.

"Please forgive me Sakura," he shouted with his head bowed.

Sakura was about to speak but the sound of a building falling and crashing behind the two cut her off.

"Lee, I don't think this is the best spot to discuss this," she said panicky as the building directly next to the pair started collapsing toward them. Lee lifted his head quickly and jumped backwards, with Sakura still in his arms, to avoid the structure. He landed lightly on the ground and as soon as he stood, the ground between his feet split apart. The crack continued down the road behind him where it disappeared underneath a building, causing it to topple into the street. Lee grasped Sakura tightly and she yelped slightly as he exploded off the ground where he used to top of the falling building as a foothold to push off of hard, flipping backwards, away from the collapsing structure. Sakura held on tightly around Lee's neck as they flipped in the air. She hated being carried and jostled like this, it made her feel like she had no control. While up in the air, the pair looked down at the village to see buildings, trees, and other structures fall and crumble in every direction. Through the thick cloud of dust that now covered the village, the shinobi could barely make out the outline of civilians running, trying to escape.

Lee landed once again, this time in the middle of a deserted alley. The rumbling of the earthquake quieted.

"Could you ever forgive me, Sakura?" he questioned once more with a hopeful tone.

"Lee, I said not now!" she scolded. "And could you please put me down now."

"Of course," he replied with an apologetic look as he set her down on the ground gently.

"I really am so sorry Sakura," he rambled as she peered around the alley. "I promise, I will never hurt you like that ever again! If I do, I will run 500 laps around Konoha, on my ha-". The medic cut him off by placing a finger on his lips.

"Lee, it's fine. I'm not angry at you, I just want to get out here."

Suddenly, the building at the end of the alley started falling, creating a domino effect as the structure next to it began collapsing as well. The pair stood frozen as the alley started to cave in on them.

"When will this end?" Lee groaned.

"Lee!" Sakura yelled, grabbing his attention. "We need to get out of here, now!"

Lee nodded and clutched the kunoichi's arm and they both started running toward the exit to the street. They were almost out of the alley when a building collapsed in front of the pair, blocking their way out. Sakura gasped and stopped in her tracks, searching for another way out of the crumbling maze. Lee spun her around, grabbed her up again in his arms and took off running at light speed in the opposite direction, turning sharply at a corner, nearly missing a falling structure. Debris started showering the two and Sakura looked over Lee's shoulder to see the buildings closing in on them. Lee picked up his pace and grasped the pinkette tighter. Ahead of him, he saw one building split into two. As one fell into the alley, it created an opening out of the alley. Through the dust and debris, Lee caught a glimpse of sunlight.

"_I have got one shot at this,"_ he thought to himself and took a deep breather as he drew Sakura closer to his body. He pushed off the ground hard and aimed for the space between the two pieces of building. He squinted through the dust and just as he thought he had cleared the buildings he heard Sakura cry out from his arms.

"Watch out!" she shouted and out of the corner of his eye, Lee saw a large wooden beam directly in his path.

"_Shit,"_ he inwardly cursed. He knew he didn't have time to move out of the way in time while in midair. He moved quickly and rotated in the air to face his back toward the beam as to shield Sakura from getting hit. He hugged her tightly as his side collided with the beam. He heard a crack and originally thought it was the beam breaking beneath his weight but suddenly grimaced as he felt pain radiating from his side. The beam had hit him in the same place he had fractured ribs from running into the tree branch a few days earlier.

The two flew from the air and hit the ground hard where they skidded to a halt, Sakura being deployed from Lee's arms. She winced as she stood and made her way slowly to where the dark-haired man was still lying. She knelt to his side and helped him as he sat up.

"Ouch," he gritted through his teeth as he grabbed his left side. "Sorry Sakura," he looked up at her, "I did not mean to drop you."

"It's okay Lee, we just need to hurry and get out of here." She bent and just as she was about to help him stand, the brick wall at the end of the alley began to fall as the others around it had. Lee looked at it with wide eyes as it started falling toward the two causing Sakura to turn around and gasp at it closed in on them. She quickly took a stance over Lee. She narrowed her eyes at the building and forced all of her available chakra into one fist. She readied herself and once the time came, she gathered her chakra to a single point on her fist and pinpointed a weak spot on the wall.

"Shannaro!" she yelled as she wielded her fist toward the building. It made contact and Sakura felt the brick shatter beneath her fist. She then immediately ducked down to cover Lee and herself with her hands as they both clenched their eyes shut. They felt debris shower over top of them and heard the wall collapse onto the ground around them with a thunderous crash.

Lee opened his eyes to find that he was just inches away from Sakura's face. As he was about to speak, he inhaled a large cloud of dust and started coughing. Through the dust Lee saw the shattered brick and wood along with the remnants of furniture and other debris. He opened his eyes fully and almost couldn't comprehend what he saw. Sakura had punched a perfect circle through the entire building and they were in the middle of it. He decided her precision must have been perfect, if not they would have been buried by the building the surrounded them.

Sakura uncovered her head and flashed Lee a small smile.

"Sakura," Lee said breathlessly, "that was amazing!" He had meant it too. He thought of the strength, chakra control, timing, and the little time she had to pull of the feat… "You are amazing," he concluded.

Sakura laughed lightly as she started dusting off her shirt. "Come on," she said, grabbing his arm, "let's get out of here." She lifted his arm and put it around her neck and place her other arm around his waist and stood him up. As she did this, Lee felt a sharp, jarring pain around his ribs. He winced and grabbed his side with he free hand.

"I know," she said soothingly, "bear with me here for a bit."

Sakura jumped out of the hole she created, carrying Lee at her side and landed softly on the ground outside. The two shinobi were startled at what they saw. The amount of damage and destruction in that area alone surpassed what they had seen when they first arrived in the village. Now, the only buildings that were visible standing were already swaying, moments away from toppling.

"Here, sit down," Sakura spoke to Lee as she set him down on the ground. "Let me heal your ribs."

"I am fine, really," Lee protested, refusing to sit down. "We need to find any villagers that are left out here."

The kunoichi rolled her eyes. "You're so stubborn," she scolded, forcing the man to sit on the ground. "You can't very well save anyone when you can barely move, can you?" She gave him a questioning, stern look.

"I guess not," he replied sheepishly.

The medic nin placed her hands on Lee's side and her hands glowed green as she started to heal him. As she did this, she noticed that her fist was bruised, cut, and bleeding from where she had punched the building.

"How did this happen again?" Lee started, looking around at all of the damage.

"I don't know," she replied, "but it seems to have stopped for now. Let's hurry up and get back to the tents in case I'm wrong." Lee nodded then cringed as Sakura placed her hands directly on his side and forced one of his ribs back into place as she healed it. "Do you think it was the aftershock of the first earthquake?" she questioned.

Lee shrugged. "I do not know. Aftershocks are unpredictable, so it could be."

Sakura shifted uneasily on her knees, deciding whether or not she should ask Lee the question that had been on her mind, even through all of the chaos.

"Did you sense anything," she hesitated, choosing her words delicately, "weird?" She looked up at Lee, hoping he would understand.

Lee furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Before the earthquake hit, I felt a surge of chakra," she frowned. It was hard to describe, and she knew Lee wasn't one for sensing chakra. "It was a small surge, but I could tell it came from a powerful source. It sent shivers up my spine." She finished as she took her hands off of Lee's side.

The dark-haired man rotated his shoulder and rubbed his side, testing Sakura's handy work. "I believe you Sakura," he started, meeting her eyes, "but this isn't a shinobi village. I don't think anyone here knows ninjustu or how to release chakra."

Sakura stood and grabbed Lee's hand to help him to his feet. "I know," she said as Lee dusted off his jumpsuit, "but that's what it felt like. Ready to head back to the tents? If Captain Kuya is there, I'm sure he will have orders for us."

Lee nodded and the pair headed toward the tents through the destruction. As they ran, Lee smiled to himself. _"She is not mad at me!"_ He thought to himself. _"I knew that those 1000 one-armed push-ups I did this morning would pay off!"_


End file.
